


Marshmallow Fluff and Waffles

by Parks and Fluff (GamblingDementor)



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Drabble Collection, F/F, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Female Friendship, Femslash, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Triplets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2015-11-12
Packaged: 2018-03-29 18:43:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 43
Words: 35,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3906697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GamblingDementor/pseuds/Parks%20and%20Fluff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompts received by my followers on tumblr, every chapter is a drabble based on a prompt. Contains: kids fluff, married couples being cute, a tiny bit of angst in some Andy/April early chapters. Mostly fluff. Overwhelmingly fluff. The fluffiest kind. Don't judge me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Are names forever? (Andy/April + Triplets)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [opti](https://archiveofourown.org/users/opti/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy/April with the triplets as special guests.

"Hey, babe?"

 

 

April has her hands full, balancing a drooling Stephen on one hip and a wailing Sonia on the other, and she quite frankly has little attention to give to anything else. She would put them down, really, she wants that more than anything else right now, but every time she tries to put little Stephen to bed, Sonia cries, and every time she tries to put Sonia down as well, Sonia cries. If she does nothing, Sonia cries.  _Someone takes after their mother for being a pain in my ass_ , she thinks, and immediately apologizes in her mind because really, Sonia's just a little baby, and her friend's baby, and she can't think things like that about her, it's mean, even for her.

 

 

"Yeah?"

 

 

Andy is doing swimmingly. Wesley is by far the easiest of the three, and it's really unfair that he got the nice one and she got the two fussy ones, but he did get dibs, so there's nothing she can do about it. In Andy's arms, drinking his bottle like a champ, Wesley is being a real angel and makes her question his real parentage.

 

 

"Do you think names are, like, forever?"

 

 

Rubbing Sonia's back proves to be a lot harder than she thought while also trying to grab a bottle with the other and not dropping the kids. How is it humanly possible? Two people isn't enough to deal with three babies. Hell, ten people may not be enough with this shrieking machine. She tries to kiss Sonia's forehead and whisper sweet nothings to soothe her, but nothing works.

 

 

"I have no idea what you mean."

 

 

A helping pair of arms come pick up Sonia. She turns around, realizes Andy has already put Wesley in the crib, and thanks whatever deity she doesn't believe in for a perfect husband.

 

 

"I mean, what if we told everyone my name was actually Frankie, or something, and if everyone stopped calling me Andy forever, would Andy stop being my name?"

 

 

Putting the formula into the bottle, warming it up, checking if it's the right temperature, giving Stephen the bottle (she tried giving it to him like she would a newborn the other day: not happening. The kid already wants to drink on his own, but Sonia and Wesley don't, yet another thing that Leslie must have written down on the endless list of instructions they never read), pausing to think about what Andy said… She almost crashes into the couch before remembering that babies are still fragile and can't be roughed around. She sits cautiously and gives herself three seconds to think when she realizes that the wailing has stopped.

 

 

Andy is hugging and cuddling Sonia, kissing her hands, tickling her sides to make her giggle, and has just started up preparing the bottle for her, but when April isn't answering, he turns around and has the cutest, warmest, Andy-est expression on his face, when he's thought up something he thinks is really smart.

 

 

"I don't know, babe," she sighs and hugs a still drinking Stephen right against her. "Why do you ask?"

 

 

The microwave beeps and he takes out the bottle before sitting on the couch right next to April. The babies notice each other and smile. Stephen stops drinking to babble something at Sonia, who holds up her hand to touch his, and that is a lot cuter than April will ever admit.

 

 

"I was thinking, erm, and this is kinda dumb, but what if we switched Wesley's and Stephen's bracelets? You know, with their names written on them? Would they become Stephen and Wesley and then their names would be switched forever, or would they still be Wesley and Stephen, and just everyone would call them by the wrong name? You know what I mean?"

 

 

"Yeah, I know what you mean," she snorts.

 

 

Andy gives Sonia her bottle and strokes her hair as she drinks it up. His eyes get all soft and for a while, it's like he's forgotten he ever asked anything. But then he looks up at April and is as excited as he was.

 

 

"So, what do you think?"

 

 

Stephen is done with his bottle already (that kid drinks as fast as Leslie eats waffles), so April sets it aside and snuggles the little baby close because when they're fed is just about the only time she likes these three demon spawns. And any other time, but that, she won't admit.

 

 

"I think names are stupid," she says in her serious voice that people always fall for, "and that we should just call them Nerd and Dork anyway."

 

 

Andy laughs and that makes little Stephen giggle as well.

 

 

"He likes that," Andy says, "Don't you, Nerd? Or is he Dork?"

 

 

Sonia is soon all done and her eyes are lidded with the tiredness only eating could ever bring to that baby. She is fast asleep by the time they put her to bed, and Stephen follows her minutes later.

 

 

The best kind of silence is the one that comes after putting babies to sleep, especially three, especially Ben and Leslie's babies. April and Andy fall back on the couch, exhausted, and she nestles herself right against him, his arm around her, where no anxiety can reach her at all.

 

 

"Seriously, though," he says, "Wouldn't it be super funny if we switched the bracelets? And if we told Leslie in, like, ten years,  _Hey, remember that time you surprised dropped off the triplets at our place when they were little babies, well, we switched the boys' name thingies, you've been calling them wrong the whole time_? You in for that?"

 

 

She thinks about the idea for two seconds, then remembers she's too tired to think about anything and nods lazily.

 

 

“This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had. Of course I’m in.”

 

She's thankful none of the kids wake up when Andy cautiously, carefully takes off the bracelets and places them back on the other boy's wrist. It wouldn't really be worth it to awaken the beasts. Andy is giggling like a little kid the rest of the night, and that's one clear upside of this prank for sure.

 

 

"Was everything okay?" Leslie asks two hours later when Ben and her come back to pick up the kids.

 

 

"Perfect," Andy says and he has that look that tells everyone around that he's hiding something, but it's late for all of them and neither Leslie or Ben say a thing.

 

 

By the time they're gone, April feels a little bit guilty, but not enough to actually do anything about it.  _I'll tell Leslie some day_ , she thinks, and falls asleep as soon as she hits the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	2. I'm pregnant (April/Andy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested by anonymous on Tumblr: "I'm pregnant". April/Andy (Jack is going to be a big brother

"And Lightning McQueen is taking the lead again in this thrilling race, but will he win the tournament for the twentieth time in a row?" Andy imitates the roaring sounds of a motor, beeps and buzzes, and is about to announce the winner when the front door slams open and April enters.

"Hey, honey, you're just in time for the car race finale!" He shouts and Jack giggles from his shoulders.She leans up to give him a kiss and muss Jack's hair, but her smile seems a little more held back than usual, like she's not telling something. Andy is about to ask her what's wrong when she turns around."I'm going to the bathroom," she says and so the race is back on.

 

" _Beep beep_ , uh oh, it sounds like we have a problem,  _beep beep_ , you hear that sound, Jackie?" 

 

"Yeah!" Jack shouts in his cute baby voice and giggles.

 

"I think there's something wrong with the motor! Quick, call a mechanic! We have to repair it!"

 

He lifts Jack off his shoulders and crashes onto the couch, pulling him onto his chest and tickling him. These were the sweetest rewards in his days, these moments shared with his son, and nothing could ever match that. Jack laughs and laughs so much that Andy never even hears April come back until she's sitting on the arm of the sofa behind him and her fingers are brushing through his hair. 

 

"Hey, babe, what's up?" he throws his head back to have a look at her from upside down. 

 

She's smiling, which is always a good sign, and leans to give him a kiss. Her hands on his cheeks are warm and soft and he almost loses himself into it until Jack jumps on him and shouts for him to keep playing.

 

"Hey, there, little buddy, I didn't forget about you!"

 

He circles Jack's waist with his hands and raises him into the air, flying around like a plane. 

 

"Andy."

 

"Neeeeaowww, sorry, babe, important business here, this flight is already ten hours late, gotta go to Paris real quick or the Eiffel Tower is gonna explode!"

 

April takes Jack from his arms, which is bound to lead to a temper tantrum at some point and seems like a bad idea, but then she looks right into his eyes and she's super serious so he can't really comment on it.

 

"Andy, I'm pregnant."

 

For some reason, he wasn't really expecting this. Not that they never talked about having a second child. They both agreed that it's something they wanted and they haven't used birth control after Jack's birth, but she never mentioned anything about that, morning sickness or missing periods or anything, he just figured it wasn't happening (yet). But now she's there, sitting in her favorite armchair, stroking Jack's hair, and she looks serious as ever.

 

"Is… Wow, babe… Is this for real?"

 

"Super real. I just took the test," she says and she bites her lip. "So… what do you think?"

 

He's right in front of her in a heartbeat, hugging her closer than he ever has in his life, and Jack gets kind of squished between them but he's used to heavy cuddles with mommy and daddy by now. 

 

"Babe, I love you so much," Andy chokes out, because he's crying a little bit by now, "This is the best news ever."

 

He thinks that there is no way that he could ever be any happier, but then Jack understands that this is good news they're sharing and he wraps his little arms around him, and Andy's fully sobbing happy tears by now. Only when, much later, April remarks that Jack has fallen asleep does Andy let go of her, and the celebrations last all night.


	3. Anticipation (April/Andy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April's fourth pregnancy comes to an end.

 

"Mommy, mommy, mommy!"

 

Samantha has only now started talking, yet right now, April could do with a little less talking and a lot more listening. Her back is already killing her, as it has for months now, and she's just about to try to pick her daughter up once more when another contraction hits and she has to lean on the wall to get through the pain, and by the time it's over, Sam is still running around the room completely naked. They are in a hurry and she really has no time for this kind of toddler behavior right now.

 

"Mommy, mommy, look!"

 

April has no idea in the world what she's supposed to be looking at, because Samantha isn't doing anything but running around and avoiding her, but she knows for sure that it's not as important as getting her dressed and ready to go. She has two babies to push out, time is pressing.

 

"Sweetie, please, it's time to go see Aunt Leslie," she sighs, but she knows it's useless, and she's starting to feel less than excited about it all. "It's gonna be fun!"

 

"Mommy, I'm invisible!"

 

April plops onto the toddler bed, throwing away the little dress she's been holding, and puts her head between her fists. She counts to ten and thinks about puppies, then looks up, and Samantha is peeking through the curtains. Progress. At least she's not running everywhere anymore. She's about to ask her to come and dress one more time when her salvation steps into the room in the form of her perfect handsome husband.

 

"Honey, are you okay? I thought you just had to… Wow, that is one naked little girl! What is happening here?"

 

"Daddy, daddy, daddy!" Sam runs toward her father and holds up her arm for him to pick her up, which he does.

 

"What are you doing, baby girl? You were supposed to get dressed with Mommy so we can all go to Auntie Leslie's!"

 

"Did she answer yet?" April asks.

 

Andy picks up the dress April threw away and before she can repeat the question, her daughter is wearing the dress like she's been asking her to for the past twenty minutes, she's put on her panties on her own like a big girl, Andy's laced her tiny Converse shoes and she's chosen two toys she can take with her to Leslie's house. Sometimes Andy has a way with their kids that she cannot hope to understand, let alone match. 

 

"Well she said she was super honored to be our babysitter and she was going to throw the kids the best We're Gonna Have Two Baby Siblings party ever, and then she said some other stuff I couldn't really hear cause she was crying."

 

"Sounds like Leslie, all right."

 

"You ready?"

 

Holding her stomach with both hands (it doesn't really stop the pain, but it's a good way to pretend), she's hurting and definitely not ready but she smiles through it all and takes Andy's hand. 

 

All three kids packed in the back seat (Samantha is playing with her toys quietly, and thank God somehow Andy's hugs calmed her down, Robbie is sleeping − and snoring, which is just about the top cutest thing about her big daughter− and Jack is pretending to read a book but really looking at the pictures because he can't really read without an adult yet and it's too dark for him to make out the words clearly anyway), hospital bag on her lap, Andy driving: they're all set. He puts on some Mouse Rat CD on the way to Leslie's and  _Two Birds Holding Hands_  is the first track. 

 

"We're gonna have two more babies," she says, softly, so that Roberta won't wake up, but Andy's heard it. Their hands meet in between the seats and his thumb stroking her palm is the most effective soothing method she's tried yet.

 

"Thank you, babe," he simply says, and that's enough said. She knows he's thankful for their family, for their amazing kids, for the crazy idea that they've got two new babies to come, for everything in their life, and she feels exactly the same. 

 

Leslie, as expected, is going completely crazy when they drop off the kids. She's already giving ten thousand pieces of advice, even though, with two more kids soon to come, Andy and April will officially be more experienced parents than her. Ben, on the other side, is trying to hide his deep anxiety (he's probably worried about their finances again) behind a big smile, but it's a nervous one, and Andy sees right through it and gives him a big hug. It doesn't change much, but at least one of them enjoys it.

 

"I can't believe I'm gonna be a godmother again!" Leslie shouts.

 

They never discussed the godmother status for any of the kids. Leslie keeps assuming, they keep going with it. 

 

"Do you know the sex? Oh, I hope it's…"

 

"It's girls!" Andy cries out and April gives him a side look. They wanted for it to be a surprise. "… Or it's boys, or a boy and a girl. Who knows really. Not me!"

 

He's a bad liar, especially considering they all knew he wanted girls all along, and he's jumping up and down in excitement, until a contraction hits again.

 

"Well, you two future parents of five go to the hospital, we're gonna stay here and have a nice little sleepover!" Leslie says, patting April on the shoulder before pulling her into a crushing hug − not her best idea, hugging a woman about to give birth.

 

"Are the triplets here? I wanna see the triplets," Jack asks. He's been a huge fan of them since day one. April has to admit that Leslie's kids are pretty awesome. They take that as their signal to leave.

 

Sam waves bye bye without a fuss when April and Andy get back in the car − that's a relief. She's usually one to cry when she gets separated from April. But she does love her Aunt Leslie, and it's already late at night anyway (April doesn't really know what kind of sleepover party Leslie is planning, but it will be with very sleepy little kids in any case) and everything runs as smoothly as it could have. 

 

It's just the two of them in the car, and Andy is fidgeting excitedly, tapping on the wheel, humming, looking at her every two seconds − until she tells him to look at the road. 

 

"You excited, babe?"

 

She looks at her huge fat belly that's been hurting so much for the past hour and a half, and remembers the last three times the same thing happened. Then she remembers the feeling of holding a newborn baby against her chest, the smell of them when they nursed and the warmth of them when she snuggled them, and she can't wait to have not one but  _two_  babies. Then she looks at Andy and sees his big dumb grin and she knows they can do it all over again.

 

"Yeah, let's do this," she says and he's pulling into the hospital parking lot and she is  _ready_. 


	4. Exhaustion (Leslie & April)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested as a friendship drabble for Leslie and April, the prompt was Exhaustion. April and Leslie friendship fic. Sometimes, three babies is a bit too much.

It's not even five in the morning on a Sunday when Leslie calls her. Her words sound way too desperate for her to be intelligible and April guesses more than she understands that she wants her to come over. She wants to say no — who the fuck calls at that time of the day on a weekend and expects her friend to come — but something in Leslie's voice makes her change her mind. And now that she's awake, she might as well put it to good use. Maybe she'll steal one of Leslie's nice bottles of wine in revenge if she gets the chance.

When she nudges Andy to warn him, he mumbles something about Superman and candy corn, so she leaves him a note on the fridge — always his first step of the day. The roads of Pawnee are empty this early in the morning and it's just as well, because she can't imagine paying more than a tenth of her attention to driving. Her mind is still too fuzzy for that.

 

She can hear the cries of the babies before the door even opens. Once facing her, two babies nestled against her (there is another one wailing down the hall, April hears), Leslie looks completely dishevelled, her hair a mess, some unidentified bodily fluid on her shoulder, huge bags under her eyes, which are squinted as if she wasn't expecting sunlight directly in her face, she looks like a gross vampire version of herself. April loves it.

 

"Wow, you look like a mess."

 

Leslie grunts and walks back inside to the living room, leaving April to follow her with no direct request. The room is pretty much as much of a mess as Leslie herself. The third baby (by the look of it, it looks like it's Steven, with the red bracelet around his wrist) is in a car seat on the coffee table and wailing at the top of his lungs.

 

"Poor thing," April whispers, soft enough that Leslie doesn't hear that she's talking to a  _baby_ , and picks him up. He cries and cries and cries, his little fists hammering through the air as if he was fighting an invisible monster only he could see − not unlike Ben when he is drunk, as a matter of fact. But then, he hiccups, stops howling like a transforming werewolf and starts whimpering like babies do when they want to fuss and get attention, especially this one, who is by far the fussiest baby she has ever met − she has barely ever interacted with babies before the triplets, but that's not the point.

 

By the time she turns around, Leslie is already slumped in the sofa, rubbing the babies' back with little success in soothing them. Her eyes are closed and she's frowning. 

 

"Leslie?" April asks tentatively.

 

No answer.

 

She nudges Leslie's legs off the couch and plops down next to her. It's entirely possible that she didn't hear her: Wesley and Sonia are still competing about who can cry the loudest.

 

"Leslie?" she asks, a little louder.

 

A groan.

 

"Where's Ben?" April asks and takes Sonia from her with her free arm. Steven wraps his little hand around her little arm and her cries don't seem as deafening as they were.

 

Slowly, painfully, Leslie opens one eye. And closes it. She snuggles little Wesley closer then seems to have an idea. Without a word, without looking, she pulls up her dirty T-shirt that looks like it belongs to Ben and shoves the baby against her boob. April had to admit that, while she never had any real expectation of what she might come across at 5 am at Leslie's house, she didn't think she'd be up close with her friend's boobs. Not that she cares. With the way the brat is screaming, it's the best option she has at this point. 

 

With Wesley nursing and Steven and Sonia cuddling with April, the room is starting to be less hell-like and more not-that-loud-but-still-a-little-bit. Sonia is trying to talk, but she's still a four-month-old baby and whatever she has to say, April can't understand because it's just random whines, but it sounds like she's rather angry. She rubs her back and suddenly it doesn't sound like the baby is that upset anymore.

 

"Ben is in Minnesota, he went to see his brother for the weekend," Leslie finally says. Her voice sounds as broken as her appearance suggests.

 

April nods. The babies, two small warm lumps against her, are starting to quiet down. They are still wide away, staring at their mom, but they are silent now, if not for the peaceful baby noises that they always make − just as chatty as their mom.

 

"Roz was supposed to come but she called last night and told me she couldn't make it."

 

"Mmh."

 

Leslie throws her head back, sighs, then turns to look at April. Her eyes are squinted from lack of sleep, honest, holding nothing back.

 

"I love them to death, you know that, right?"

 

"The daily email updates you send of everything they do throughout the day gave me a hint."

 

Leslie chuckles − even that looks like an effort.

 

"I love them so much, but right before you came, I was ready to go to sleep and ignore their cries and just forget about them for a minute."

 

Steven lets out what sounds like a giggle, a squeaky baby giggle, and April can't hide the hint of a smile.

 

"Three is a handful," Leslie sighs and her head falls against April's shoulder.

 

Wesley has fallen asleep right against Leslie's breast − rude, if you ask April. Pulling down her shirt, she wraps her arms around him and keep him close, right against her face, as if breathing him in. She just looks… happy. She's been up all night, or so it seems, she's a walking disaster, the kid has barely stopped screaming and there she is, looking happy and serene and fulfilled. 

 

"No, Leslie." 

 

Leslie looks up from her son's sleeping face, frowning, as if April had just pinched her.

 

"One kid is a handful. Raising three kids, three screaming devils like you have, it's not a handful, it's fucking impossible. It's literally a miracle you even manage to do it."

 

Her face softens, she moves closer to April, completely against her, and April realizes that the two triplets she's been holding have also fallen asleep. This is as close to cuddling as she'll ever get with anyone other than Andy.

 

"Thank you, April," Leslie says.

 

"Don't worry, I'll take the money from your wallet to make up for it."

 

Another chuckle, and Leslie closes her eyes. It takes April a few minutes to realize that she is asleep too. Slowly, carefully, she stands up and puts Steven and Sonia to bed (Ron built the cribs − that was before Morningstar), then comes back to pick up Wesley and do the same with him. 

 

Babies sleeping, mother sleeping, there isn't much more April can do to help. She doesn't really know if she should just leave. After all, Leslie specifically called her. Probably asking for help. April's not sure, she didn't really get a word of what she was saying. 

 

In the end, she settles for writing "DORK" all over Leslie's forehead and pulling a blanket over her to let her have her rest on the couch. And if she ordered some waffles take-out from JJs for Leslie's breakfast when she wakes up, with a new can of whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles to put on top, she won't tell. 


	5. Tender (Leslie + Triplets)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie takes care of her three children.

The voices always reach Leslie before the kids. Cries, shouts, whimpers — someone probably got hurt. Before she even gets to the back door to the garden to see for herself, she gets swarmed up in kindergartners wet with tears and mud who rub their snotty faces all over her legs. Sweet things.

  
“Mommy!" 

  
Whining and whimpering, they throw up their fists in the air and babble something she can’t quite decipher. A few minutes, lots of hugs and kisses, and three meltdowns later, the crying has receded a little (just a little) and she gets the least desperate one to talk.

  
"Sonia, tell me what happened.”

  
Sonia, who is sitting on the couch quietly, crosses her legs and her hands on her knees and clears her throat before speaking (she’s the same deviant monster as her brothers most of the time, but sometimes, she can be a  _lady_ ).

  
“Wesley pushed us into the dirt and there were pointy rocks under the mud.”

  
Wesley sniffles loudly. Then, only then does Sonia open her fists to show her two dirty palms crusted with blood.

  
“Oh my god, _you’re bleeding_ , why didn’t you start by that?!”

  
Leslie hushes them to the kitchen (where she’s kept the medical supplies ever since half of it ended up in the toilet a few years ago — thanks, Steven) and, picking them up one by one, she sits them up on the counter, where Ben never allows their butts because he thinks it’s unhygienic and he’s the one who cooks most of the time so his rules apply, but Ben’s working in his office right now, and she loves to see her three little babies all lined up, feet dangling. They look like cute construction workers on a crane.

  
“Okay, everyone, hands in the air!”

  
Six little hands shoot up and she rubs them clean as best as she can (dirt and filth find a way everywhere on these kids’ bodies) with wet wipes that have been a life saver since day one in the Wyatt-Knope household.

  
“All clean!” Steven shouts when she’s done with him and there’s snot running down his nose. She wipes that too.

  
“Thank you, Mommy,” Sonia says when she’s done with her, and earns a kiss on the top of the head.

  
But when she’s done with Wesley, it becomes obvious that his hands are perfectly intact: no bleeding whatsoever. She looks him in the eyes − they’re still red and wet with tears.

  
“You didn’t fall?”

  
He looks away and shakes his head, and a few tears run down his cheeks.

  
“Why are you crying, then, sweetie? Are you hurt somewhere else? What happened?”

  
“I… I…” he sniffles loudly, “I pushed Sonia and Steve…" 

  
"And did you apologize?”

  
He rubs his nose.

  
“Yes! But they still hurt!”

  
And the crying starts again. 

  
“Aww, you big softie!”

  
She pulls him into a bear hug (Ben says she’ll crush them one day − as if she could ever hurt any of them) and he wraps his little arms around her and she almost forget the urging matter.

  
“Mommy, our hands.”

  
“Oh, right, scratched hands over here. Wesley, give me that big bottle.”

  
Her son’s tiny hands are barely large enough to circle the bottle of sanitizer − that boy is  _not_ going to be an athlete − but he still manages to hand it to her.

  
“Now, this is gonna sting a little bit.”

  
She starts by dabbing some on Sonia’s hands. The girl winces and scrunches up her nose, but takes it like a proud goddess all in all and soon the scratches are covered by a band-aid and all is forgotten. 

  
Not like Steven. As soon as the disinfectant even brushes against his palms he starts sobbing. Immediately Sonia and Wesley hug him, but to no avail. He’s still whimpering by the time the scratches are dealt with (covered with band-aids that have black skulls on them, probably a present from April), even after magic kisses.

  
“Aww, don’t worry, Stevie, it’s all done now! You can go play again!”

  
“It stings!”

  
“I know, sweetie, I’m sorry." 

  
"I can’t play with my hands now!”

  
“Aww, my baby boy, you’re just as fragile as your daddy!”

  
“ _I heard that!_ ” Ben’s voice comes out of his office, faint, and Leslie chooses to laugh and ignore it.

  
“All right, monsters, you go back to play, and no pushing others in the dirt, all right, Wesley?”

  
The shouting and cheering has started even before they hop off the counter.


	6. Anticipation II (April/Andy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie's throwing a Christmas party for her family and the Ludgate-Dwyer household is invited.

"Babe, did you pack the diapers? Robbie's gonna need some."

 

April is whispering as loudly as she can so Andy can hear her in the next room, but quietly enough that the baby doesn't fuss. She's finally got Roberta to stop crying, using the best method she knows (shoving a nipple inside her mouth) and there is no way she is risking anything at all, like moving or shouting, until she is completely asleep. It shouldn't take much longer, judging by her drooping eyelids and her little fists holding onto April faintly as she always does when she's tired.

 

"Packed and ready! All that's left is finding Jack, then you get Robbie in the car seat, then Leslie's house it is!"

 

"Finding Jack?!" she cries out, louder than she should, but when she looks down at Roberta, she's still nursing like a champ. Andy's head pops through the door opening of their room, his big grin on his face.

 

"He's not  _lost_ , babe, we're just playing hide and seek."

 

Of course Andy would be playing hide and seek with their sneaky toddler five minutes before leaving. Of course. They do find Jack as soon as they leave the room a moment later when Roberta has had enough and fell asleep, though. He's hiding behind the couch and covering his eyes − they still have quite some time before ge hets really good at this on purpose and not just when they absolutely need to find him and yes, she'll admit she might still be upset about that time she missed the first four songs of a Johnny Karate gig because Jack had fallen asleep in the middle of a flower bench at Leslie's but this is in the past now.

 

Packing the trunk is becoming more and more like a huge Tetris game over the years. It was already a nightmare with only Jack, and even more with two babies, and even more on Christmas Eve when they're spending the night at Leslie's. With all the presents, Roberta's baby stuff won't fit and they have to put several boxes on the backseat between the two car seats. Andy has gone crazy this year. Two kids of their own, the triplets, Leslie and Ben, all of them will get the best gifts from him. Yet another reason why having him be a stay at home dad is definitely the best decision they've ever made. April doesn't have to bother about finding good gifts: Andy does it now. But she knows Leslie will have the best present of the night − she told her about it.

 

"You think Santa's gonna be there?" Andy asks as April takes the driver seat.

 

"I wanna see Santa!" Jack's squeaky voice says behind her.

 

"You're definitely gonna see Santa," April says and tries to sound enthusiastic, because she's never been the biggest fan of Santas herself.

 

Andy cheers far too loud for anyone's sake, louder than even Jack. It's a wonder Roberta sleeps through it, to be honest. But their baby girl always sleeps as heavily as she wails loudly, and April's boob magic got her to finally close her eyes and her mouth. The spell is cast for at least a couple hours now. 

 

"I want cake too," Jack adds and Andy nods frantically.

 

"I hope Ben made the cake! He puts some sprinkles on it, they're crushed candy canes, it's so good."

 

"I want candy cane!"

 

"There has got to be candy at Aunt Leslie's party!"

 

"Daddy, I want candy!"

 

"Yeah, I know, buddy, me too."

 

The rest of the short ride is filled with hopes and wishes and wonder and Andy is sounding just as excited as Jack. Any visit to Leslie has come to be a merry occasion for all of them, but Jack especially. He  _loves_  the triplets, he loves Leslie, he even loves Ben, which seems completely uncanny to April. And going by everything Leslie's told her about tonight's party (just snippets, but enough), he is going to love it too.

 

A puppy. A freaking puppy. Leslie called her a few days ago asking if she was okay with it, considering they still have Champion (not for much longer, April fears, but she'll hold onto her doggy as long as she can) and a new pet is a lot of work, especially with a baby to take care of. But April is actually just as excited as she knows Andy and the kids (or maybe just Jack, Roberta doesn't really  _get_  dogs yet), so of course she accepted. She literally can't wait for the gift, but if she lets on anything, it'll ruin the surprise. She has been holding on that news for four whole days, actually, but she is vastly better at keeping secrets than Andy.

 

Andy runs more than he walks to Leslie's door step, before remembering that they have to unpack what feels like half of their house that they brought with them. Jack under an arm (he likes to hold him like he's a bag, and Jack giggles like he always does when Andy does silly things), ten presents stacked on the other, he makes for a funny sight as he makes his way to the door, this time for real. April takes the most important thing of all, their daughter, in her arms (she doesn't like leaving her in her seat when she can just holds her against her, and it's not like she's going to wake up any time soon), leaving the rest for him. Already she's hearing the cheerful greeting of Leslie and Sonia at the door, and there are amazing smells coming her way as well, turkey and roasted apples and probably a hundred other things. She smiles to herself, presses a kiss on Robbie's head, and makes her way to the party that is sure to be perfect.

 

Ain't no Christmas party like a Leslie Knope Christmas party.


	7. Holding (Leslie & April)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie can see April isn't dealing with the whole Andy situation very well and wants to help.

April never actually does take Leslie's offer to talk about boys. And for a while, Leslie seems convinced she has no need to. Things seem to be going pretty good with Andy − up until a certain point. After her birthday party, April suddenly sulks all the time (more than she usually does) and ignores Andy for a while, and Leslie isn't exactly sure if something happened, or rather what happened, but it can't be good. April snaps at people, much more than she would normally, and when the government shuts down, she never answers any email Leslie sends her.

 

By the time she comes back, it turns out she was in Venezuela the whole time and she's got a pretty boy at her arm that she walks around the Parks Department for all eyes to see, but hardly ever kisses or hugs or does remotely intimate with when Andy isn't there. Leslie has no idea if people around her notice anything − it seems pretty obvious to her that something's wrong. When she asks Ann about it, the only answer she gets is a non-committal shrug and a quick change of subject.

 

As sudden as he appeared, Eduardo disappears one day, and all that's left is a frowning April who won't leave her desk all day (she used to go visit the shoeshine stand every break she got), won't work, won't talk. Day after day, meeting after meeting, she either doesn't bother to show up or stands in a corner throwing daggers at Andy when he attends. For the most part, Leslie trusts her to settle the issue at some point, but there comes a point where she just begins to worry about April for real.

 

"April," she calls out after a meeting about the ferris wheel for the Harvest Festival, "Can you stay for a minute?"

 

She pats the chair next to her and with the most reluctance known to humankind, April sits down and simply sits there, glaring. When it becomes obvious that she isn't going to say anything, Leslie clears her throat and thinks of the best way to broach the issue.

"These past few weeks, I've noticed you seem…" How is she even supposed to put it? "Unfocused."

April stares at her, her expression unchanged.

"April… You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"No, I don't, there's nothing to talk about."

She looks away through the glass panels, and squints her eyes. Leslie takes a glance − Andy is waving at her them from other side. And April seems furious about it. So it  _is_  about him, like she suspected. What a sad turn of events.

"Did something happen between you two?"

"Yeah, he murdered my sister and buried her cat under City Hall."

Leslie sighs. How hard can it be to help someone?

"Look, whatever happened, I'm sure he'll come around."

"What?!" 

 

Bad. This is bad. Abort, abort, abort.

 

"I mean you gotta keep your head up! April, you know I only wanna help."

 

"Well, don't. What even makes you think that  _he_  needs to come around? What if he hurt me, and he's the one who needs to grovel?! What if I've done nothing wrong and he's done everything wrong and ruined it all and betrayed me and he's wrong and everything is his fault?!"

 

Her voice gets high and shaky and angry, and Leslie feels so much hurt for her her heart breaks a little. She puts a hand on April's − which doesn't get rejected, for once − and tries to put her thoughts into words.

 

"April, I… I'm sorry. For whatever happened and for what I just said. What I'm trying to say is that I'm here for you."

 

April says nothing, but her thumb strokes Leslie's palm (so faintly she would miss it if she wasn't paying attention) and she doesn't look away. Her eyes are full of hurt and sadness.

 

"Just hold it together, okay? Everything will be okay."

 

April shrugs. Progress.

 

"Do you maybe want me to talk to An…"

 

"NO! Oh my god…"

 

"You'll have to deal with this at some point, you know."

 

A sigh, then April stands up.

 

"I know. I will."

 

"You guys would be great for each other."

 

"Yeah, well,  _one of us_  hasn't been as committed to that idea as the other."

 

"What…"

 

"Leslie, I don't wanna talk about it."

 

"Okay."

 

She's about to leave the room, her hand already on the handle, but just before opening the door, she speaks without facing Leslie, in a low voice.

 

"Thanks."

 

And she's gone.

 

Two weeks later, Andy and her are making out somewhere in City Hall every hour of the day. Seems like she's held it together pretty good.


	8. Loneliness (Leslie & April)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April misses Andy on the flight back to Pawnee (Set during London)

"I get the window seat, right?"

April checks her ticket and nods. Leslie takes a step back to give her way; April slumps onto the seat and immediately turns away from Leslie.

"Okay..."Leslie sits down next to her, straps her belt, picks up a book, reads a few pages, sighs, puts the book down, looks at Ben who is sitting a few rows back in the plane, thinks about Ron, smiles, thinks about Pawnee, sighs again, throws her head back. Just as her thoughts are starting to veer towards what she said about Pawnee, they get interrupted by April putting her head on her shoulder and sighs."April?""On the flight back, me and Andy, we wanted to…" She starts and sighs. "Nevermind."

 

"I'm not sure I want to know what your plans were."

 

"Yeah. You don't. But I was really looking forward to that."

 

A pause. She scoots a bit closer to Leslie (not the hardest thing, they are in the economic class and the seats are tiny) and sighs again. Leslie expects a lot of that coming up.

 

"I miss him."

 

"Aww, April! You just got on the plane!"

 

"Six months is  _a lot_ , okay? I mean, I was in Washington last year, so we did it before, but it's still a lot."

 

"I know it is."

 

"I just… I miss him already."

 

Leslie has to physically resist the urge to  _awwww_ around April when she's being like this. What a big softie.

 

"It's all right. You guys are gonna be just fine. And you have your friends in Pawnee!"

 

I  _don't, though_ , she thinks gloomily.  _Pawnee isn't really my friend these days._  


 

"Andy's my best friend."

 

 As best as she can, Leslie extricates an arm to wrap it over April's shoulders and leans against her.

 

"It's all gonna be okay."

 

"I mean, I  _told_  him to stay. I  _know_  that's what's best for him. And I'm so proud! But…"

 

"But it's still hard?"

 

"Yeah," April sighs out.

 

Leslie has to admit that she is feeling some sort of loneliness, too. The recall vote is coming soon and the poll results are abysmal. This wasn't what she expected when she got elected. But at least, she has her husband, a few rows away from her, and she's going to go home with him tonight and probably make out on the couch, and April won't have that, so she can't exactly complain.

 

"I'm gonna try and sleep," April says after a while.

 

"Yeah, good call."

 

Leslie searches for sleeping pills in her purse, but by the time she turns back to April, she's already facing the window, her eyes closed. Leslie swallows the pill, leans on April's shoulder and tries to fall asleep and forget.


	9. Relief (April/Andy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy only hopes for one thing: that April will forgive him and stay in Pawnee. Set during Media Blitz.

Andy wishes he could say he's feeling confident about this, but the truth is he has no idea if it will ever work. April really does seem like she might never forgive him. This is all so dumb:  _Ann_  kisses him and suddenly it's his fault? It should be Ann's fault! But it's him that April is mad at, and so he's the one who has to work for her forgiveness.

Of course, it's worth it. He would do it a whole year, or ten years, if he was sure it'd work. April agreed to a month, and Andy can only hope it's enough. Deep in his guts, he feels, he knows that April and him are meant to be. There's no way they're not, not after everything that happened. He can still feel her lips against his when she kissed him back at the hospital, he remembers how good she smelled (probably shampoo, but still), how soft her skin was against his palm. He remembers how everything fell into place for real at that exact moment, how it all made sense, how he  _knew_. That memory has kept him hoping for months and will probably keep him going for a very long time. All day long, it's been on his mind, even when he was in handcuffs on the sidewalk, when he was writing with Ron, when he was massaging Jerry's feet.

 

And it's definitely on his mind when April comes to see him at the end of the day. It's all he has, or he's going to feel very  _very_  sad and that can't happen.

 

"Hello."

 

"Hello."

 

He can't help but be surprised to see her, actually. After all that happened, she's stopped to come see him by the shoeshine stand. He's missed her like crazy.

 

"How did it go today?"

 

"It was super fun!"

 

That's not really a lie. He loves spending time with Ron − that guy is so wise all the time! Everything he says is smart. And he did have a nice chat with Natalie on the ride back after she told the police officer what she said was a joke.

 

"It was?" April doesn't look like she believes him. 

 

"Yeah! Do you have a list for tomorrow?"

 

"You wanna do this  _again_  tomorrow?"

 

Close. She's very close to him now. Close enough that he can smell her again − does that make him a creep? He doesn't want to be a creep, but he can't just ignore that she smells good, like peach or something like that. Or maybe banana? No, that's not banana, he loves banana but he likes this even more. Or maybe he likes April even more. He doesn't know.

 

"Yes, I do! I mean, that's the deal, right? I gotta do it for a whole month, and then you're not gonna move to Indianapolis…"

 

And then everything changes forever. She's kissing him, right on his mouth, and now he recognizes that she smells like apples, and she tastes like happiness, and  _she's kissing him_. Her arms wrap around his neck and she didn't do that, that one time in the hospital, and it feels amazing, how is it even possible? He puts his hands on her waist and this feels right. It's just like his memory, but a billion times better, and all he wants is to do it over and over and over again, for the rest of his life and the next hundred lives as well. He feels like he's been hit with a giant boulder of joy and flowers and puppies.

 

"I better be the only person you kiss today," she says and her lips are beautiful, her eyes shining and she's so pretty he can barely hold it. 

 

"I'm… I'm positive that you are." In fact, she's the only person he kissed ever since what happened at the hospital. Who else would he want to kiss?

 

She kisses him again and he keeps her close. If he has any choice about it, he's never letting her go again forever and ever.


	10. Affection (Benslie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Ben's feelings toward Leslie could be summarized in one word. (Set before Andy and April's Fancy Party)

There is something special about Leslie Knope. Ben could already feel it the day he arrived in Pawnee, although at the time it was a less positive special vibe she gave off, and he's becoming more and more convinced every day.

There is something in her smile, the way her eyes twinkle, her whole face lighting up. It's not just for him, far from it: Leslie always smiles for  _everybody_. He's seen it countless times when she's chatting with Ann in the courtyard, when she's eyeing Andy and April from her office through the glasspanes, when Ron nods at her with that loving kindness he shows sometimes (rarely), even when Jerry speaks about his daughters. But when it  _is_  for him, it's a thousand times more special, more unique. They've been spending their breaks and lunches together a lot these days and the smiles she gives him make his heart clench and he can't help but smile too. 

 

There is something about the vibe she gives off. She brings energy to everyone − he swears even April gives 5 percent more when Leslie's around. She encourages everyone around her to do their best. Every single day she gets a shoeshine from Andy and Ben should tell Kyle to come around after her because Andy is a far better shoeshiner (or shoeshinist, as he calls it) when he's had a nice talk with Leslie. The whole Harvest Festival project could have never happened without her − hell, it was her idea in the first place! There is no doubt at all in Ben's mind that Leslie is a super woman from another galaxy who came to brighten up Pawnee with her supernatural powers of motivation.

 

There is also something about her physically, but that, he won't admit to anyone. He can barely even admit to himself that he finds her attractive. Blonde hair, something he's never really liked before (Cindy Eckhert had fair hair and he always associated it with her bringing him down, but so far, Leslie has done nothing but lift him up), eyes as blue as the sky on a good day (Pawnee's weather is fair and sunny most of the time, but maybe he feels that way because he's got a sunshine of his own in his life), short, shorter than him (sometimes, and only sometimes, and always with great shame, he thinks that it would feel so damn good to be the big spoon with her in bed), and  _so_  pretty. He can't say he has never thrown glances her way when she's not looking to admire her. 

 

All in all, Leslie is one of a kind, and Ben can't help but feel inspired by her every day. She's been on his mind a lot, even when Chris asks to speak with him.

 

"There's a job of assistant city manager that I think would be  _absolutely_  perfect for you."

 

"Is there?"

 

"Yes. I think you've grown to like Pawnee and you might want to keep working here."

 

Ben  _has_  grown to like Pawnee − if Pawnee is what you call that short dynamite kind of a woman who spreads good will and energy behind her everywhere she goes.

 

"I'll think about it."


	11. Acceptance (Leslie & Wesley)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wesley has something big to admit to Leslie.

Wesley takes of his glasses, rubs his eyes. They are wet and itchy and he’s sure he looks like a baby. He sure feels like one. But he clears his throat and gets ready to face the possible wrath of his mother.

“So, is this true?” she asks and her voice is iron.

“I'm… I’m sorry, Mom,” he sniffles, “I just… I didn’t think you’d be mad.”

“Mad?! I’M NOT MAD!”

“You sound like you’re mad!”

She sighs, sits down at the kitchen table, and holds her head. Wesley hesitantly sits down next to her, not daring to look at her. He taps his fingers on the table, looks around, tries to ignore his beating heart. He knew it was a bad idea to tell her. He should have told his dad before.

“I’m not mad,” she finally says and to his great surprise, he believes her. 

“You sure?” His voice sounds shakier than it should.

“Uh huh,” she says and nods with a warm smile she always gives him when he’s being shy.

“I didn’t want to hurt you, Mom, I swear.”

“No, I know, I know! It’s just that, in my mind, I thought all three of you would be… would be like me. Like your dad and I.”

Wesley pushes his glasses up − they always fall down the brink of his nose when he’s nervous.

“I’m still the same, I swear!”

“I know you are, sweetie, come here.”

She pulls him on her lap. He’s been too old for that for years, but she still does it every time he passes by her when she’s sitting, and he has to admit that he kind of likes the way she kisses his cheek and messes up his hair like she did when he was a little kid and it used to stick up in all directions.

“My baby…”

“ _Mom!_ I’m fourteen, I’m not your baby anymore.”

“Sorry, sorry!”

She squeezes him tight like she always does.

“Wesley, sweetie, I want you to know that I will never reject you for your preferences. Never. Won’t happen.”

“Really?”

“I promise. Never.”

He hugs her back and for once, he’s happy to be here and stay here, even if, at fourteen, he really is too old for cuddles.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“I mean, I never expected you to want pancakes for your birthday breakfast instead of waffles, but I’ll always accept you, no matter what.”

For as long as he can remember, he and his siblings have always each had their own day on the few days leading up to their actual birthday. With their favorite meals and special activities all day long, all planned by their mom.

“Thank you.”

“Do you want to invite Asher to the movies on your day? Your dad wants to take us see the new Lord of the Rings, that boyfriend of yours would like that, right? You two big nerds, you love the new adaptation.”

“Sure, I’ll ask him,” Wesley rolls his eyes.

“Great. Tell him hi for me, and we’d love to have him over any time.”

“Will do.”

A minute passes. And another.

“Can I go do my homework now?”

“Oh, right, sure, sweetie, there you go.”

She gives him one more kiss on the top of his head (he’s almost as big as her now, it’s starting to get difficult) and lets him go. Everything went better than he expected. Turns out his mom is every bit as accepting as he thought. 


	12. Soft (Ben & Sonia)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Sonia’s relationship throughout the years.

The first time Ben holds Sonia in his arms, she’s covered in blood and goo and she’s the most precious thing he’s ever seen. She’s his firstborn, their first child, and she’s the most beautiful baby the world has ever seen − her two brothers soon become serious contenders. Her skin is soft and she smells amazing. She looks just like Leslie, but she’s got his sister’s ears and she’s perfect.

Sonia’s first word is “Dad”. Leslie is a bit disappointed − she was hoping for “democracy”, “Eleanor Roosevelt” or “feminism” − but Ben cries for a full half hour. She teases him and says he’s gone all sappy, but when Wesley’s first word is “Mom”, she sobs for hours on the phone with Ann.

For months during the terrible twos, Sonia’s favorite word is “No”. She says it all the time, even when no one is asking her anything. A kiss on the head: no! A hug: no! A pat on the back: no! A new unicorn toy for her Solid Food Day (Leslie insisted each of the triplets get these for at least three years after the first time they had solid food): no! A surprise visit from Auntie April and Uncle Andy: no! Ben has never wished for the triplets to grow older even once, but after the hundredth loud “No!” to him offering a hug, he’s starting to hope that she grows out of this phase soon.

On her first day in kindergarten, Sonia gets in trouble for pushing another child at school. She says that he was making fun of Wesley for having glasses and that he deserved it. Ben tells her that no one deserves to be pushed, ever. That night, Leslie reminds him of that time he punched a guy in the face at the bowling alley − not the kind of example he wants to set for his children.

  
At seven, Sonia starts playing baseball. Andy gives her special tips and shows her everything there is to know − he tries to convince her to take up football but she is not interested. Ben pitches a few balls at her. Some of them are perfect hits, some she misses, one of them ends up giving him a black eye. She giggles, but runs to give him a hug and a kiss and calls out for her mom to come help.

Sonia likes wearing beautiful dresses on special occasions. When Leslie throws April a huge baby shower, she insists on wearing a dotted red dress that Leslie gave her for Family Waffles Day. It’s in light cotton, it’s adorable and she looks like a future CEO. She asks for Ben to spin her around (his arms are failing me as often as not, but he always tries). The fabric is soft and floats around in the most beautiful way and the way she laughs when he tickles her sides is even sweeter. 

All three triplets could look at little Jack for hours, but Sonia begs to hold him the most. One time, Andy and April leave their son to Leslie and Ben for the night. He wakes up in the middle of the night as any baby would (Ben does not miss the “not sleeping” part of having newborns at home) but when Ben comes to soothe him, Sonia is already holding him, hugging him, whispering into his ear. In the end, the cuddling involves all three of them on the couch, Jack falls asleep in Sonia’s arms who falls asleep in Ben’s.

Wesley was the one who suggested it (Ben has a very strong suspicion that their night spent at April and Andy’s is not completely unrelated to that idea), but in the end, he left the details of building a pillow fort to Ben. Soon, the whole living room is a fort and Sonia is the queen. They used every single blanket, pillow, mattress and bed linen of the house because the triplets never do anything by half, and they beg for a sleepover in the fort − not that they have any choice, considering their beds are empty. It ends up involving a lot more candies and popcorn than an average human should eat in a lifetime. The kids end up falling asleep piled up on Leslie and Ben, who later swear they are too old for this crap.

One day, the boys come home teasing Sonia for having a crush on a classmate. She was threatened with detention because she kept kicking the back of his chair. The only way she finds to shut her brothers up is to rub their hair so hard they beg for her to stop. Ben tells her there’s nothing wrong with having a crush. She answers he’s the one she’s going to crush if he tells Leslie about it.

When Sonia insists on showing Ben her current game on The Sims 6, he never expects to find her drowning half a family of Sims in a pool. But she shows him her other game, the one in which she created their family, and he sees that Sim Ben and Sim Sonia are best friends. He musses her hair and kisses her head, and lets her kill the other half of the first family.

The first time Sonia cries over a boy, Leslie makes her a triple service of blueberry-topped waffles with extra whipped cream. She sits between her parents during movie night and keeps texting, but it doesn’t stop the cuddles. Ben never liked the boy anyway.  
  
Sonia volunteers at the animal shelter every week. If it were up to her, they would have ten pets at home, or a hundred. Once, Ben catches her trying to sneak a kitten into her backpack and hide it in her room. They end up adopting it anyway.

When Sonia takes extra math classes in high school, Ben might cry out of pride. She has straight As all year − he never expected any less from her. One night, when they’re in bed, Leslie confesses she’s afraid Sonia might end up being a bigger nerd than he is. He kisses her and tells her that he’s been grooming all of his kids to be nerds, and that his plan has finally come to tuition.

Sonia takes a summer internship at Tilton & Radomski Accounting. The first day, Ben comes to pick her up and Barney Varnm has a mini meltdown of happiness when he sees him. Later, Sonia tells him she’s been writing down good puns for months and she’s served Barney with them all day long. 

In her year book of senior year in high school, Sonia puts a quote from The Lord of the Rings. Ben has never been more proud. 

The first night after the triplets left for college, Ben and Leslie cry over dinner. Sonia video calls them three times that evening. They cry even more.


	13. Embarassment (April/Andy + Triplets)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy is being a little too open about what happens at triplets sleepover at April and his place.

Every time Johnny Karate gives a concert, April is deeply conflicted. One the one hand, she feels so turned on and excited to see him all giddy and in his element that she can't wait to go home and jump his bones. But on the other hand, she loves seeing him that way and she knows that he's enjoying himself so much she wants this to last as long as it can. But today seems to be one of these days where they're going to stay here a long time, so she might as well take it all in and enjoy herself.

 

They've been here for two hours so far and all Andy's done is chat it up with all the children. A friend of the triplets is having a big birthday party and from what April heard, the little girl begged her mom to invite Johnny Karate as soon as she learned her friends knew him. Andy was so happy about it that he was about to do the concert for free, but April had to put her foot down, because as far as Andy is concerned, he would never asked to get paid if she didn't remind him this is a living.

 

The children are all running around, grabbing Andy's legs, horsing around, play-punching him, lauging, while April sits in a corner and watches all from a safe distance. Sonia runs up to her, panting. She's been jumping on the trampoline set up outside and her face is all red.

 

"Auntie April! Can Uncle Andy sing now? Please?"

 

"Well why don't you go ahead and ask him, sweetie?"

 

"Yay!"

 

Less than a minute later, there is no Uncle Andy anymore, only Johnny Karate and his magical guitar stick. Dozens of children around him (how many friends can a six year old have? If the birthday parties April and Andy have been at with the triplets are anything to go by, _a lot_ ) cheer and scream for the concert to start. 

"All right, you want songs, is that it?"

"YEAH!"

"I should get started then!"

"YEAH!"

"Okay, okay, this first song is for all of you who feel embarrassed about this sometimes, and I want to tell you: don't!"

He plays a few chords, waits for the kids to sit quietly (it's bound to get very non-quiet soon) and begins his song. April knows which one he meant − there will be a lot of giggling in the room very soon.

" _Everybody pees their bed, it's something that we do!_ "

The kids are already snickering and Andy looks as proud of himself as he does every time he gets children to laugh at his dumb stuff. It's so endearing April wants to go make out with him right then and there, but they have a concert to finish. Then he winks at the triplets sitting together on one armchair.

"Remember when that happened to you last week when you were at our house, Stevie?" He says, laughing.

 

And he goes on with his song. Steven freezes between his siblings, completely mortified, and all the other kids turn to him at once. They're not laughing, not openly yet, but there is more than friendly tease in their eyes and their smiles are becoming more like smirks by the second. Sonia and Wesley put his shoulders and whisper into his ears, probably that it's okay, but he looks like he might start to cry. Andy sings on, completely oblivious to it all − he probably just wanted to make the song more relatable. Oh, Andy. April stands up at once when she sees that he isn't going to do anything.

 

"Hey, kids, end of song," she says and stops his hand playing the chords. "Johnny Karate has a very important lesson to teach you now!"

 

Andy looks at her puzzled, and she whispers into his ear.

 

"Steven is totally embarrassed, dude! All the kids are staring at him. Don't single him out like that again."

 

Instead of sitting back in her chair far from all the fun, April picks up Steven and sits in his spot in the armchair, all three kids on her lap. Steven wraps his arms around her for snuggles − she's always happy to give him that. 

 

"Wow, kids, Ms Karate tells me you're making fun of… some people when I've  _just_  been singing about how everyone pees their bed, what's that about?" 

 

Johnny Karate is the best friendliest most amazing kids performer ever, and the children all listen to him dutifully as he starts an unnecessary long speech about peeing your bed, love and tolerance. By the time he's done, and he starts the next song, several of the kids sitting nearby are patting Steven's legs and whispering apologies. And Steven himself stops staring at the ground in all his shame to give April a breathless "Thanks". Mission accomplished, she tells herself, and enjoys the rest of the concert.


	14. Holding II (Benslie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben is at Leslie’s side every second leading up to their children’s birth.

"I SWEAR TO GOD, WYATT, IF YOU TELL ME TO BREATHE ONE MORE TIME, I'M GOING TO…" The threat never actually leaves Leslie's heavily pregnant mind because she gets caught up by a heavy contraction and she squeezes his hand so tight he's afraid she's going to bruise it. Ben holds onto hers − not like he has any choice − and rubs her back all the way to the car, but there is little he can do to help in any way. After all, three kids are about to come out of her. But Leslie is the toughest woman he's ever met and he's sure she can hold it together. 

 

 

Leslie isn't very good at being patient. She grabs onto the nearest counter in the hospital, whatever service they happen to be in, and screams at the person in charge that she wants to have her babies now. Ben guides her back to the wheelchair they gave her and gives the employee an apologetic shrug. He's pretty sure Leslie is going to come back with a basket full of presents in two days when she realizes she was rude.

 

 

Leslie Knope is the most impressive woman in the world. Two doctors have come by and said as much. One complimented her pelvis, the other her cervix. She thanked them most sincerely. All the while being 9 cm dilated. When they tell her to push, she makes a weird pun joke that fells flat. Ben blames the epidural. She still holds onto his arm for support, but he's feeling more and more certain that he's the one who needs to be reassured.

 

 

Two hours later, she is a bit more of a mess than she was earlier. She keeps it together − just barely. She's been gripping Ben's arm like a vice for hours, so much so that it's starting to feel numb, but he's not the one with the uterus so he doesn't get to complain. Ann still hasn't arrived. Leslie texted her after the first contraction, but Michigan isn't that close and her labor has been rather fast so far. Is it weird to be incredibly attracted to your wife because she is good at dealing with contractions? He'll ask her later.

 

 

Their first child born is the girl − Sonia, if Leslie still agrees with the name they've compromised on (he was a big partisan of Arianne, Trystane and Quentyn but she flat out refused Game of Thrones names). Like her mother, Ben thinks, too motivated to be left behind. Leslie holds her first, and Ben can already see the ressemblance between them. He has never seen a more beautiful baby. Soon he gets to hold her and he gets lost in the emotions. By the time the second baby is born (one of the boys, they'll have to decide on which one gets which name later), he is sobbing grossly. 

 

 

Three babies is a lot. Leslie tries to hold them all three at the same time, and would possibly succeed if she wasn't so damn tired. Ben is too, but she's done all the work. They have three glass cribs next to her bed, but they're empty. Leslie insists on holding the babies. Ben is sitting in the armchair next to her bed, craddling Steven (the hospital staff gave them bracelets), and Leslie has two arms, so two babies. He has no idea if the babies will grow up to be calm and moderate children, but in any case, they aren't making a sound right now. He can't blame them. He's also happiest when he's in Leslie's arms.

 

Everyone starts to arrive, first April and Andy (Andy begs to hold all the babies and almost cries when Sonia wraps her little hand around his finger, and even April is smiling a lot more than her usual self, doesn't make a single death threat toward him all night and holds Wesley as if he was the most precious thing she's ever seen − Ben has  _never_  seen her like that), then Ann and Chris (Chris asks the grossest details about the birth and Leslie decides that she is not going to give any of them, until Ann asks if she delivered all of them vaginally − she did − and if she wants to breastfeed − she does − and suddenly she doesn't mind telling the gross stuff), and later Ron even comes by to drop off a beautiful set of wood-carved rattles. The babies are passed around and everyone gets to hold all of them at least once. Ben has read some place that this might be harmful for them to learn to actually sleep on their own, but Leslie has strongly refused to ever stop herself or anyone she loves from hugging her babies. Best let them know they're loved. He holds on tight to the baby he's currently holding, Wesley, and looks at Leslie who is craddling another of their children. She smiles, and it radiates even more than usual. And that's when he realizes that he hasn't felt anxious at all, not even a little bit, ever since the babies have been born. Because whatever happens, he and Leslie are in it together, and it's going to be amazing.


	15. Worthless (Benslie + Triplets)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben is starting to wonder why his babies are so calm at night.

There was never any doubt in Ben's mind before, but ever since the babies have been born, he is entirely and completely convinced that Leslie Knope is not part of the human species. She is made of something else entirely, something that makes her as  _flawless_  as she is. She has been nothing but strong, and brave, and supportive, as if he's the one who actually needs any support.

 

Based on everything he's learned, from all the parenting books Leslie bought (they have a full shelf) to Chris's numerous pieces of advice, he is supposed to feel completely exhausted and out of his mind and cranky. Yet, he feels great. Not because all three of their children are perfect angels who never wake up once they're put to bed for a nap, who eat on a regular schedule and who never fuss. They absolutely do. And even if they didn't, there are three of them, so even three perfectly quiet babies would be more than a handful. But it seems that they never wake up at night.

At first, he didn't understand. During the day, he has his hands full. The inevitable truth about triplets is that there are three of them, so if by chance one is being fussy, you can always pick them up, and if another one starts crying, it's hard but possible to hold them too. But then the third one starts yelling and all hell breaks loose. Every single day they get into all sorts of fits and messes, yet at night, nothing seems to happen. He never wakes up to wailing babes at the deep of night, never loses sleep. And he's starting to wonder why. 

The answer comes one night after a few months of being a parent. He's been lying in bed, staring at the ceiling because he can't sleep (thinking about the fifth season of Game of Thrones is stressing him out), when he hears a soft beep, so smooth he wonders how it could even wake anyone. It does wake Leslie, though: without paying attention to him, she leaves the room. He figures she might be going to the bathroom, but then realizes that, weird as his wife is, she still wouldn't need an alarm to go to the bathroom. This seems fishy at best, and he decides to find out what is happening.

The nightlight is on in the kids' room (they have yet to put them in different rooms, since they figured they would wait till the kids could walk and play on their own to give them their own space), the door half-open.

"Leslie?"

No answer comes, so he pushes the door open, and there she is, his beautiful wife. His superhero of a wife. She has one boy on each breast and she is softly bouncing Sonia on her lap to get her to sleep. The scene is so unreal that he has to stop for a moment, before it sinks in.

"Leslie, what the hell?!"

She looks up like a deer caught in headlights. Then chooses to massively deny anything is amiss. 

"Shh, Sonia is about to fall back asleep."

"And how do you even plan to get her back into the crib? Oh my god, Leslie, how did you pick up  _three_  kids? How many arms do you have?"

 

Carefully, he picks up Sonia from her spot on Leslie's lap (where he had to admit she was pretty well secure and comfortable) and craddles her into his arms. Leslie shrugs.

 

"Is this why the kids have never woken me up at night?  _Do you spend all your nights here with them?_ " He whispers loudly.

 

"I didn't want you to get tired!"

 

"They're my kids too, Leslie!"

 

She pouts.

 

"I guess that makes sense."

 

"God, I feel so useless. Why don't you let me handle them at night too?!"

 

Sonia's eyelids are drooping − Leslie was right when she said she would fall asleep soon. 

 

"… I'm sorry, babe. It's just that Ann told me how tired Chris was when Oliver was their age and I didn't want you to go through that, and… "

 

Sonia is sucking on her thumb like she often does. He's heard Chris say it shouldn't be encouraged. Ben believes his daughter can do whatever she wants with her little fingers.

 

"Leslie, this has to stop. How can you even put up with this?"

 

"Oh I've been taking quick naps every day when they've just eaten. It's a breeze, I swear."

 

"Leslie…"

 

Steven pushes her breast away − it seems someone's done with their late night meal. With one arm, Leslie pulls him up to her shoulder to burp him. 

 

"I guess I could let you take a few turns…"

 

He puts Sonia down in her crib, her little toy possum (a present from Andy, in hommage of Fairway Frank) next to her. He turns back to Leslie and sits down in the chair next to hers. They put their two best armchairs of the house in the nursery when Leslie began to read in here next to the babies in her free time. She hands him Steven. The smell of a baby craddled into your arms is beyond comparison, he thinks, as he has countless times before.

 

"We've really made a beautiful trio here."

 

"I like to call them the Terrific Three Treasures."

 

He chuckles.

 

"Leslie, you're not in this alone," he says more seriously. "I love you, and I love that you're a super woman, but you can't just decide you'll take over half of the work and not let me any choice. I'm the dad, I want to be woken up at night and be tired and have to take power naps."

 

She sighs and looks down at the still nursing Wesley. He is holding up his little hand toward her face as he always does, and she takes it in her. He wraps his fingers around her thumb. 

 

"I guess it's just another case of me micro-managing, huh?"

 

"Yeah…"

 

"I'm sorry."

 

"I get that you feel this is something you need to do somehow, but this isn't how it works this time."

 

"I  _know_ , I know."

 

She drops her head on his shoulder. There is a calm in the room that he can only appreciate. Steven is asleep in his arms, the only sounds those of Wesley nursing.

 

"Did you get an alarm just for this?"

 

She snorts, as if laughing at herself.

 

"Yeah. It detects if they're making too much noise and beeps me."

 

"You're completely crazy, darling."

 

"I love you, too."

 

He chuckles and leans in to kiss her temple.

 

"Okay, tell you what," Leslie says, "I take tonight, then you get tomorrow. Deal?"

 

"Are you sure?"

 

"Mmh, maybe you get tomorrow first turn, then me? How about you get Wednesdays and I'll do the rest?"

 

"Leslie…"

 

"Alright, alright… But give me tonight, at least."

 

"Fine…"

 

He gives Steven a kiss on the head before putting him to bed and waves at Leslie before going back to their room. She waves back, then looks back down at Wesley, who is definitely hungry tonight. 

 

By the time she comes back to bed, a few moments later, Ben has a few ideas of things they could do to pass time instead of sleeping. If he has to experience lack of sleep beginning the next day, he might as well start things off with sweeter things than comforting crying babies. Leslie couldn't agree more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	16. Satisfied (April/Andy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy and April bring their baby home for the first time.

Leslie visits her every single day for as long as she stays in the hospital after birth, every morning and every night (although she stays so late into the morning and comes back so early at night that April asks herself if she even went to work − that’s ridiculous, though, because Leslie  _always_ finds time for work). Ron even comes by to see the baby the second day and Andy gets all sappy when he tells them that Jack seems strong and healthy. And at some point, their families visit as well. April’s is far more impressed (Natalie even reluctantly holds the baby for a few minutes) than Andy’s (they’re meeting their thirteenth grandchild, she supposes it becomes less unique at some point). Then finally, she’s given the greenlight to go back home.

The first day at home, Andy keeps holding the baby, checking on him, hugging him, and he’s never looked happier. Jack doesn’t react to much (not that any newborn would, she’s pretty sure), but April swears that his eyes grow a bit wider when Andy makes funny faces or tells him he loves him.

Jack is a perfect calm and quiet little baby. He is pretty much always satisfied with what happens to him. And when he isn’t, he doesn’t wail or scream or cry. When he wants to nurse, he squeezes his little fists and makes funny sounds with his mouth to get her attention (she’s never far away). When he needs to be changed, he moves around and whimpers softly and Andy is always there to notice. April supposes that when he’s bored or upset, he’s going to have another adorable way to show it, but so far, it hasn’t happened. He’s just a content little baby with simple needs.

At night, they put him in that little bassinet Leslie bought them as soon as April even mentioned cosleeping. She falls asleep gazing at her son’s face and that is frankly pretty amazing and the best view to fall asleep to she’s ever known. His little mouth open (maybe he’ll drool and be a gross little dude like his father), his tiny fists closed, his expression peaceful (he’s got her eyes under his miniature eyelids), she has never seen a baby as perfect as him. When the triplets were born, she thought they were pretty cute, but she now realizes that they were nothing compared to her own child.

A gentle hand shakes her awake at some point during the night. It’s still dark outside. She checks her gryzzlphone: 1:07 am. The wallpaper is a picture of her, Andy and Jack that Leslie took yesterday and she smiles, before remembering that she is awake at night and there must be a reason for that.

“Babe,” Andy whispers softly, “babe, Jack is awake.”

“Mmh?”

“Babe, I think he wants your boob.”

She turns to the center of the bed and there is their son, looking up at her with his big beautiful eyes. Andy apparently had the odd idea of giving him his huge thumb to suckle on while he was waking her − a silly little scene to wake up to. Especially considering they have rattles. Like ten of them. Ron made them.

“Sure.”

She picks him up and puts him at her breast and it turns out Andy was absolutely right. This little guy is starving. His little head bobs as he suckles with an appetite that is not unlike his father’s.

“He’s so cool,” Andy says and his voice is shaking again, as it often is when he talks to Jack or about Jack, “The best.”

He wraps an arm around her shoulders and she leans into him. 

“Yeah,” she whispers and strokes her son’s cheek. “The best.”

How long will this last, a happy little baby in their bed, who is so content with life that you just shove a nipple into his mouth and he’s perfectly happy for hours? She has no idea, but she knows that whatever comes next, even if Jack turns into the demon his name would suggest, she’ll always be happy with the child they have because no matter what, it’s hers, and it’s Andy’s, and they are in it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	17. Broken (April/Andy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy is heartbroken when he finds out April brought back a boyfriend from Venezuela.

Andy has always been a little bit slow. He never really thought he was stupid, not really. At school, he always got decent grades, and he’s always had friends around him who treat him like he’s just a person. He can generally tell when they’re unhappy and he usually gets people to like him pretty easily, so he always thought he was an average dude, if a bit slow sometimes. But right now, he is feeling completely dumb. Like, the dumbest idiot in the world in the history of humankind.

April has a boyfriend. Eduardo, she said his name was. At first, Andy couldn’t believe it. He really thought he and April were meant to be, that he had his chance, that she cared about him. But then he saw this smoking hot dude and how he wrapped his arm around April’s shoulders (something Andy always wanted to do) and he realized that he’d been wrong all along. April does not, in fact, believe he was his soulmate, even though that is so obvious to him.

There are so many ways to explain this. Maybe April never liked him at all, maybe she only ever pretended as some sort of joke. Maybe she did like him but not anymore. Maybe she’s pulling a prank on him, but probably not, cause he can usually tell when she’s messing with him. Or maybe he can’t? He is not very good at picking up signals. Maybe she just hated him all along and still hates him and will always hate him. That’s his main theory right now.

Which leads him to the conclusion that he’s completely dumb. And sad. As soon as April leaves the Parks Department with hot Eduardo, Andy goes back to his shoeshine stand, sends Kyle on his way (seriously, does that guy even have a life outside of getting his shoes shined?) and takes his shirt off. He slumps on one on the customer seats and throws his head back, groaning. 

So he did mess it all up entirely, didn’t he? Ann kissed him and he told April and that was the end of it for them. He’s trying to think of what he should do to solve this situation but nothing seems like a good idea. He could just leave Pawnee and go live someplace he never has to interact with anyone ever again, because he really can’t think of anyone he’d like to talk to right now. Except April. He’s wanted to talk to her all summer, in fact. But he can’t leave Pawnee, he has a cool job, and his band needs him, and he’s lived here his whole life. It’s just that without April, he can’t think of anything he’d really want to do here.

There isn’t anything he can do. He really can’t think of a thing that might salvage the situation. He’s broken her trust, and he thought he could save it by trying to explain the situation, but he can’t. She hates him. If only there was something he could do… But then he realizes there is something he can do. He can ask for help. April is the coolest person he knows, but Leslie is second, and he can just ask her for her opinion on that. She likes April, right? She’s going to give him some great advice, he’ll get everything back in order and all of this will be fine! He puts his shirt back on, his apron, and runs to Leslie’s office. If anyone can help, it’s her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	18. Graceful (Benslie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benslie dancing lessons.

This was all Leslie's idea, Ben keeps telling himself. She asked for this, she even begged for this, and he's giving her what she wants. So why does he feel like such a fool? Why does he feel like this was the worst idea ever?

 

" _One_ , two, three,  _one_ , two, three," the instructor goes on and on, as if they've forgotten how counting to three goes. 

 

Ben grits his teeth, puts a smile on his face and pretends that he did not just step on her foot again.

 

Leslie, on the other hand, is having a blast. She's been overjoyed about this ever since he gave her the coupon. She stared at it fondly, and every day she reminded him how much she was looking forward to these classes and even tonight, before they left, she showed him in no subtle way how grateful she was. One hand clasped in his, the other on his shoulder, she follows his clumsy steps with smiles and giggles and kisses and he has to admit that she does partially succeed in making him feel slightly less like a freaking scarecrow and more like an actualy husband waltzing with his wife.

 

"This is so fun!" Leslie says and swirls and swirls with an assurance almost as high as her own inability to waltz.

 

And maybe that's what convinces him that this is actually okay: he may not be the most adept waltz dancer (God knows he's pretty much the opposite), but neither is Leslie. Yet when she beams up at him, he feels like they're dancing in the ballroom of some fancy place like Netherfields Park and not a small dirty classroom. She's radiating pure joy and even though he expects her birthday present for him to surpass this as it has every single year so far, he's pretty damn proud of his idea for once.

 

So much so that he is starting to actually enjoy himself. There is definitely an appeal to keeping his lady at his arms, leading her through the room with the beautiful melodies of old German composers, watching her match his steps. And if she keeps stomping on his feet, the pain isn't a tenth of the joy of Leslie's smiles all throughout the night.

 

Eventually the two hours of class are up, eventually they break off the embrace and bow at each other after a long night of dancing. Ben's feet are sore and probably swollen. He'll make sure to check on Leslie's and maybe they can have one of these massage after-parties that Leslie likes so much.

 

"You think next time you could dress as Darcy? I'm sure I still have one of these old cotton dresses and bonnet somewhere in my costume boxes…"

 

She looks so hopeful that he can't help but nod in agreement and take his hand to go hom. He had not been planning on a next time, but nothing ever goes exactly as planned when your wife is the amazing Leslie Knope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	19. Enthusiasm (Andy & Triplets)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven, Sonia and Wesley are very excited to meet baby Jack.

Andy hears the voices before he sees the kids − if he heard them, it means they're too loud, and April might wake up. She's had a very short night of rest yesterday. Probably has to do with her pushing an actual baby out of her for most of it.

 

He puts Jack back into the crib (he's been sleeping for a good half an hour but Andy still likes to hold him, listen to his little heartbeat), presses a kiss on his little head (he smells super good) and, after checking that April is still asleep, leaves the room, closing the door carefully.

 

"Uncle Andy!" three squeaky voices peep up and he's caught into the hug machine of the triplets before he even gets to greet them.

 

"Sshh, munchkins, we gotta be super quiet right now!"

"April's still sleeping, huh?" Leslie asks, all disappointed.

After their visit late at night, she came back once in the morning, but April was sleeping already. 

"And our baby, too," he nods.

"I wanna see the baby!" Steven whines.

"Me too!" Sonia says.

"Me three!" Wesley adds and they giggle, as they always do when one of them makes that joke − very often.

"Okay, tell you what," Andy squats to their eye level, "we're gonna go to the cafeteria, and Ben's gonna bbuy us some ice-cream…"

"I am?" Ben sighs.

"… and then we'll come back and we'll see if the baby is awake. Deal?"

"Yay!"

They all run in different directions and it takes Leslie's booming voice to call them back and go to the hospital cafeteria together.

All three of them share a giant sundae, Andy gets another one for himself and Leslie gets a chocolate milkshake (they don't have waffles). Ben sighs, asks for a small coffee and pulls out his card to pay for everything.

"Is the baby like, super small?" Steven asks once they're all sitting. If what the triplets do can be called sitting. It's more like jumping up and down on their plastic chairs.

"Of course he's small, dum-dum, he's a baby!"

"Well, Uncle Andy is totally big and it's his baby so…"

"He's totally super small," Andy intervenes, "He's like…"

He holds up his fists next to each other to give a hint to Jack's size but he's not sure that's accurate.

"He's small like this, kind of."

The triplets' mouths fall open.

"Wow, that's so small!"

"And what's his name?"

"Jack!" he answers proudly. He's still super happy about finding the perfect name for his son.

"And his middle name?" Wesley asks. "My middle name is Samwise."

Andy is about to tell them his baby's full name (he wrote it down directly after coming up with it and they repeated it a few times to commit it to memory) but then he remembers what April said. Leslie can't know his full name. So he bites his tongue and tries his best not to look suspicious. 

"He, erm… he has no middle name. Just Jack. Jack Ludgate-Dwyer. No middle name at all. Just a totally normal name!"

Ben eyes him suspiciously and Andy scratches his neck, averting his eyes. Fortunately, Leslie isn't looking, she's busy straightening Sonia's collar and she wasn't listening.

"Is he cute?" Wesley asks.

"Super duper cute, dude! He looks just like April!"

That was what he'd always dreamed of after all. A little boy April.

"Will we get to hold him" Sonia asks, her blue eyes shining with excitement (she kinda looks like Leslie that way). "I wanna hold him!"

He checks on Leslie's face for any sign of worry or disapproval, finds none, and nods.

"Totally! You'll see, he's so small, like even lighter than Mrs Whiskers."

"Wow!"

"I hope he's awake when we go back, though," he ponders and takes a last spoonful of ice-cream.

"Me too," Leslie says, thoughtful. "I've been drafting up some onesie patterns that I'd like to knit for him and I need his exact size."

"Oooh, can I help you with that?" Wesley asks immediately.

"Of course, sweetie. I mean, obviously, I need to make at least seven onesies, for each day of the week, so technically, all of you could help…"

A groan erupts from Steven and Sonia's side of the table.

"Anyway…" Leslie smiles and slurps her last sip of milkshake, "Who is ready to see if Auntie April and the baby are up?"

"Me!" they shout excitedly.

In the end, April is awake and the triplets get to meet their sort of cousin for the first time. In fact, they hold him and hug him and love him so much that Leslie has to ask them to leave, hours later. Seems like baby Jack will be surrounded by people who love him all around. And if Andy and April can get some free babysitters when Jack is older, it's all added bonus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	20. Things you said when you thought you lost me (April/Andy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy is moping on Burly’s couch when April is dating Eduardo

Andy gets mood swings like everyone else. But only around some people. He's never mean or agressive (his dad always told him that if you couldn't solve a fight with a hug, you weren't giving enough hugs) but there are people that simply get on his nerves these days. He guesses that's what people call "feeling down" — a sensation he hardly ever feels and doesn't like one bit. But he just can't help it when Burly drives him up the walls like this.

 

"Andy, dude, I need to be able to sit on  _my_  couch from time to time."

 

Andy twists his head (which he buried into a throw pillow as soon as he got home and threw himself on the sofa) and glares at him. Don't people have even the slightest sense of privacy anymore?

 

"Don't look at me like that! It's  _my_  house!"

 

"Yeah, well,  _sorry_  for living on your couch and not having a place of my own! God!"

 

"Ugh, you're such a loser sometimes, dude."

 

The memory of April rejecting him when he asked her out and leaving hand in hand with her boyfriend comes to his mind. 

 

"You're right," he says and sits up, throwing his head back and closing his eyes. "I'm totally a loser."

 

He feels Burly sitting down next to him, patting his shoulder.

 

"I mean, all I want is to be able to sit on my couch from time to time, watch a movie with my girlfriend or something."

 

His voice is a lot less angry than it was and he's probably trying to be nice, but somehow, that makes Andy even sadder. He thinks of April's cute cheek and her bangs and her smile and her nice voice and his heart is clenching in his chest.

 

"Am I ever gonna get out of this mess, Burly?"

 

"I mean, you got a job, you could spare a little bit and get your own place, I'm sure…"

 

" _That's not what I meant!_ "

 

"Hey, don't be that way, man. You've been living here for what, a year? Year and a half? If I wasn't your mate, I would have kicked you out ages ago."

 

Andy groans and rubs his eyes − they got all wet from thinking about April. Sometimes he gets this way, even after Leslie told him there was a way to win her back. Sometimes he feels he's never going to get her back at all, and never had her in the first place.

 

"It's this girl, okay?" he says and saying it to someone who doesn't know her actually helps, "I'm  _really_  into her and I think she was also totally into me at some point but now she's got a boyfriend and I've been trying to ask her out but she just keeps saying no."

 

"Is it April?"

 

"What?! How do you know her name?"

 

"Dude, you talk about her  _all the time._ "

 

Well, can anyone blame him? He might have talked about her, now that he thinks about it, because she's been on his mind all the time.

 

"She's so great, man, you have no idea. She's the best."

 

"Mmh."

 

Burly turns on the TV and starts watching, as if he didn't care.

 

"I'm just so afraid I've lost her forever."

 

"What happened again?"

 

"Well, I mean, she was kinda mad at me then I told her I liked her, you know? I mean, like-liked her. And she said she did too, but then I crashed my bike, Ann kissed me and then April kissed me, then I told her Ann kissed me and she left. She went to Venezuela and came back with a hot boyfriend."

 

" _Ann_  kissed you? I thought you guys broke up last year."

 

"We did! I don't know what took her, but April was super mad."

 

Burly pauses, then turns to him. He is frowning, like Andy said something really dumb.

 

"Dude, telling her was probably the worst idea you've ever had."

 

"What? What was I supposed to do,  _lie_? You know I can't lie!"

 

"Yes! Take that to your grave! She didn't wanna know that."

 

"Ugh, you're not helping!"

 

Andy crosses his arms and turns his back to Burly.

 

"Whatever, man," he hears him say behind him. "I'm just saying, you better work on getting forgiveness, cause girls hate that kind of shit."

 

"Yeah, I got that."

 

After a while, Andy does uncross his arms and sit back normally. They even play on Burly's old Nintendo for a bit (Andy beats him, and that cheers him up, because he loves it when Mario announces he won − Burly also wants to play Mario but Andy got dibs) and after a while, he almost doesn't feel a hundred percent down anymore, like he did. He feels like ten percent happy about the game, and ninety percent sad and hurt and hopeless that April hates him. But from zero to ten percent, that's progress, so maybe someday he'll feel totally fine. Maybe someday she'll even forgive him. But she might not, and as long as that is so, he is going to feel down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	21. Things you said when you were scared (April + Roberta)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April soothes her daughter who is scared of the monster under her bed.

Over the years, April has learned to recognize people by the sound of their steps. Initially, at the Parks Department, she trained herself to know who was walking by her desk so she didn't have to bother looking up for useless wastes of space like Jerry, but also so that she never missed Andy coming by (although he always called out for her, and later she was the sole reason he even came to the Department once they were together). Andy's loud stumping has become as familiar to her ears as the sound of her own heart. But now, most of all, she can recognize that little tiptoeing among thousands, the steps of her daughter sneaking around. Which is why, when a small hand pats her arm in the middle of the night after walking all the way around their bed, she doesn't even need to hear her voice to know it's Roberta.

 

"Mommy!" she whispers loudly. "Mommy, wake up!"

 

"Hey, Robbie," she gives her a smile because, just because she hates being woken up at night doesn't mean her child should suffer from it. They rarely come all the way to their parents' bedroom for no cause at all. "What's up?"

 

"Can I sleep with you?"

 

"Of course, sweetheart, come here," she answers and picks her up. Andy's side of the bed is empty tonight anyway, as he's gone to see his brother who lives in New York and doesn't have room for their whole crew in his tiny Manhattan flat. So it's just April with her five little monsters this weekend. So far, only three meltdowns happened, all by the twins, and as she always says, if it's a kid in diaper throwing a tantrum, it doesn't really count because that's all they do anyway.

 

Usually, when one of the kids stays in the bed with her when Andy's not home (or even when he is here, then they have a cuddle party), they stretch their limbs as far as they can, take as much space as possible in this bed so much bigger than what they're used to. And especially Robbie, who is already almost too big for her big girl bed and who will need a new one soon. But tonight, instead of sprawling on Andy's side, Roberta is clutching April's waist, curling into her back, her face hidden into her shoulder.

 

"Robbie?"

 

"There's something under my bed," she whispers and her voice is shaking, like she's just about to cry.

 

"Under your bed, sweetie?"

 

She turns to hug her daughter face-to-face. It wasn't that long ago that she was still a little baby and all it took to make her happy was to feed her, change her or play peek-a-boo with her. But now, their five-year-old is a big girl who is towering over all her siblings, even Jack, and while a hug always still makes her smile, it takes more than that to soothe a child compared to a newborn, even one as easygoing as Roberta.

 

"I think it's a monster," she says in the same nervous hushed tone as before. 

 

April strokes her daughter's beautiful fair hair, keeping as close as she possibly can. It's a trick Andy always uses on her. It can work wonders.

 

"What kind of monster?"

 

"What?"

 

"What kind of monster do you think it is?"

 

"I… I don't know. I couldn't see it that well."

 

"Did it have like big neon green eyes that glow in the dark?"

 

"No…"

 

"Or like pink feathers like a creepy flamingo?"

 

"Haha, that wouldn't be scary at all, Mommy!"

 

"Did it have… a big corkscrew tail like a pig?"

 

"No, its tail was hairy. And kind of short."

 

"Oooh, that sounds scary, were you scared?"

 

Roberta nods against the crook of April's neck.

 

"Yeah, I'd be scared too."

 

"It had… It had big paws. With claws."

 

"Claws, you say?"

 

"Uh huh."

 

"Wow."

 

"And, and it was big like  _this_."

 

She holds up her arms in the air as far apart from each other as she can.

 

"That's kinda big!" April says.

 

"Yeah, super big."

 

"And did it have scales like a dragon, so black and dark you can barely even see them but they glisten with the light?"

 

"No!"

 

"Or a breath so foul you can't even stand in front of it?"

 

"What's foul?"

 

"That means it stinks, sweetie."

 

Roberta chuckles. She likes learning funny words like this.

 

"No, it didn't stink."

 

"Not like your daddy!"

 

"Daddy doesn't stink!" she giggles.

 

"Well, you'll have to give him a super big hug when he comes back to smell him and make sure."

 

"Yeah!"

 

The moonlight is shining on Robbie's face through the window. Hopefully she'll get some rest soon. It's very late at night for a little child.

 

"Are you feeling awesome now, sweetie?"

 

She nods softly.

 

"A little bit awesome."

 

"Do you want to show me the monster. I'd kinda like to see it."

 

"Are you gonna be scared?"

 

"Of course, super scared. But you're gonna be there with me so I'll be alright."

 

"I'm not very scared anymore!"

 

"That's because you're so brave."

 

"Yeah, I'm totally brave."

 

"Brave enough to show me the monster?"

 

Roberta holds her chin (Andy told her it makes you look smarter), then nods. She hops off the bed and grabs April's hand. Her room is at the end of the corridor and the hall is covered with toys and clothes (who would have thought  _Andy_  would be the one who kept some order in the home?) but Roberta's footsteps are sure.

 

Once in her room, she tiptoes to her bed and gets on all four to take a peek under it.

 

"It's still here!" she cries out, before clasping her hands on her mouth when she realizes how loud she's been.

 

April gets on her knees to have a look… Once she's seen what's under the bed, she can't help the smile that turns her lips up.

 

"Do you mind if I turn on the light?"

 

Roberta can't keep her eyes off the monster and waves her hand in approval, vaguely. April stands up and switches the light on. By the time she turns back to the bed, Roberta's mouth is gaping, her eyes wide with surprise. She looks so much like Andy that April's heart overflows with affection.

 

"It's Count Chocula!" she shouts.

 

"Is it?" April smiles. "I didn't notice."

 

"Come look!"

 

And there he is, their oversized puppy of a monster, snoring under Roberta's bed like it's been his home all along.

 

"Yep, that's him all right," she admits.

 

"There was no monster! Mommy, it was just the dog!"

 

"Well, I'm very proud of you regardless, sweetie."

 

Roberta gives her one of her goofiest smiles, then yawns.

 

"Sounds like my hero of a daughter needs some sleep."

 

"Yeah…"

 

"You wanna sleep in my bed? To get over the surprise?"

 

"Can Count Chocula come too?"

 

"Sure."

 

"Cool!"

 

She dives under the bed and crawls back with the poor doggie she woke up. On April's bed, the three of them form a huge pile of hugs and cuddles and puppy and daughter both seem ecstatic with the arrangement. As for April, even if she wishes Andy were here with them, this is the best way to go to bed she can think of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	22. Things you said when we were the happiest we ever were (Benslie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie just got elected president of the United States.

"Hello and welcome to Gryzzlchannel 4. I'm Perd Hapley. Today's program starts with some news, and these news are an annoucement. Pawnee citizen Leslie Knope was elected President of the United States with an overwhelming majority yesterday evening. She obtained more than half of the votes. Ms Knope agreed to an interview with us in the studio, here in Pawnee. Ms Knope, good morning."

 

"Good morning, Perd."

 

From behind the scenes, Ben watches Leslie being congratulated by Perd Hapley in the name of the city, just as she was the day she became the governor of Indiana. Her eyes are shining (she's cried a lot since yesterday, almost as much as she's smiled and laughed) and she is glancing at him every few sentences, but she has has the assurance and candor he's always known her to have. For a brief instant, he's reminded of the first time he saw her in front of cameras like this. Joan Callamezzo was slashing on him and Leslie urged him to come defend himself. Always one step ahead of him, always shining with all her brightness, even then. He loved it then and he loves it now.

 

"… and as I've always said, my focus has been and is always going to be to improve the life of people…" 

 

She speaks with the same confidence Ben has always admired. Perd is fascinated and nods at everything she says. Even the triplets next to Ben are mesmerized. The interview, which has the looks of a monologue by now, goes on and on. Leslie talks about her hopes and dreams for the nation, her plans, the work she's done and the work she still has to do, and she's literally shining and radiating joy. A few times, she mentions him or the children and he sees the special look in her eyes and hopes she sees the same thing in his.

 

"You were perfect on there," he tells her after the interview is over and she joins him behind the cameras to watch the rest of the program (a documentary about the new Nutriyums, the actual healthy option).

 

"Not as perfect as you, mister campaign manager," she leans up to give him a kiss.

 

"I don't think I've ever been more proud of you, Leslie."

 

"I don't think I've ever been more proud of me either."

 

He chuckles and pulls his kids closer.

 

"Your mother is the most amazing woman on earth, kids."

 

"Ugh, dad, you've said that like a hundred times today," Steven says.

 

"Shh, let your dad talk," Leslie grins. 

 

They leave the studio surrounded by body guards − Ben never thought he'd ever get to see that. Ever since yesterday, his heart has been beating hard at all times and he knows there's no reason to check a doctor. He is just that happy all the time now. 

 

"You know who I most wanna talk to?" he asks when they're in the black car with tainted glass and a driver − he hopes he never gets used to that kind of treatment.

 

"Who?"

 

"You. Twenty-five years ago. When you worked in the Parks Department."

 

"Oh really? And what would you tell me?"

 

"That I've always believed in you. That I knew you would get this far. And that I love you more than anything in the world."

 

It takes very loud grunting from the triplets to unglue them from each other after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	23. Things you said at the kitchen table (Leslie + Triplets)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie and her kids around the kitchen table over the years

The first time Ben comes home to Leslie working at the kitchen table with all three babies sleeping in front of her on the table, he suggests in the kindest possible terms that she's gone completely crazy and that she might consider putting the kids in their cribs, where they're supposed to sleep. She lies, tells him that he might be right, but it happens again the next day and the day after that and she finally has to admit that she's gotten used to the sound of their breathing surrounding her when she's working. He reminds her that she's going to get back to real work at some point, without the babies — she starts drawing a plan that involves a cribdesk of Ron's invention, before remembering that Ron is a lying betraying jerk and that she'll never talk to him ever again after Morningstar. Some habits, like relying on a close friend during important steps of your life, die hard.

Saperstein suggested they wait at least six months before getting the babies on solids, but Ben catches Leslie cutting waffles in tiny pieces and offering them to their kids when she thinks he's not looking because he's cooking. She startles and starts making excuses when he tells her he's seen her, but he just sighs and tells her that, if she's going to get them hooked on breakfast food that young, she might wanna start with something smooth like whipped cream and keep the waffles for when they have teeth.Wesley's first word is "Mom" and he says it when Leslie least expected it, in the middle of a post nap bowl of applesauce. It's more a mash-up of "Mama" sounds than the real deal but it counts. She crushes him into a hug and it's not until half an hour of sobbing and calling Ben to tell him later that she realizes that he still hasn't eaten.

Steven is five when he makes his first political speech with the kitchen table as his pulpit − pretending to be the mayor of Pawnee. They haven't lived in Pawnee for years, but Leslie talks about it so much that it must have stuck. He says he's going to be a great mayor, that he's going to turn things upside down and give the Parks Department all the budget, and that his mommy is going to be the president. In the end, Sonia and him tease each other when she claims she's going to be the president and he'll just be her vice-president − if that's the lowest position she can think of for her brother, Leslie can deal with that.

April and Andy spend the afternoon at Ben and Leslie's almost every Sunday and with a giant kid like Andy, it ends in food fights as often as not. Ben will say something nerdy, April will tease him, and Andy will throw peas at the triplets while they're distracted. Every time, they holler and scream in delight, but in the end, they say they're sorry and help Leslie clean up.

 

Sonia always asks Ben's help for her homework because math are more his field than hers, but Wesley, he comes to Leslie. She's cooking, he's sitting at the table right next to her, and he's looking at her like he desperately want to beg to help her, but he still has a paper to write for his history class. He asks her what she thinks about the relevance of the constitution in today's society and they bounce ideas off each other. It's so refreshing to discuss important political topics with her son that she almost forgets to actually cook, but he swoops in when his paper is over and puts a finishing touch to the mini calzones they made for Ben for when he gets home after a long day in Congress.

 

Leslie is the first one Wesley sits down by the kitchen table one night, the night he comes out to her. He tells her he likes boys, he's always liked boys, he's probably always going to like boys and that there's nothing he can do about it, so he hopes she can accept him. Ensues the biggest cuddle of all times ever since he's been a very little boy. She's by his side when he tells Ben, and the cuddle party is a three person event after that, too.

 

With a big nerd as a husband, Leslie always knew there was a risk her kids might be, too. What she never thought any of them would be is a science nerd. When she comes home to a sheepish Steven whose experiments poked a big hole in the kitchen table, it takes her a full minute to process the whole thing. He claims that it's not his fault, that the science kit they got him was defect, that really it's their fault, that they should not have made him think chemistry could be fun if they couldn't deal with the effects on their furniture, he says everything and its opposite to try and sneak his way out of it, as he always does. He is sent to his room until further notice. But then she remembers Ben's culinary experiments and she figures it's not that far from her nerdy highschooler almost burning off their kitchen.

 

The night before the children leave for college (two of them got into Ivy League colleges, and one is going to Pawnee Community College and Leslie is not sure what makes her prouder), during dinner, Sonia makes a little speech like the future leader of the world she is. She thanks Ben and Leslie for everything, for their love, their support, their education, for being there for all three of them at all times, and Steven and Wesley give that a round of applause. Leslie sobs, Ben cries, Wesley even sheds a tear, and the next day, Leslie and Ben's kitchen has never felt bigger and emptier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	24. Things you said on the phone (Leslie & Ann)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann has good news regarding her second baby.

 

Calling Leslie at an unscheduled time on an unscheduled day is always a minefield of endless worried babbling.

 

"Is something wrong, Ann? What happened? You were supposed to call me tomorrow at eight! Are you sick? Did something happen to the baby? Did Chris leave you and Ollie? Were you kidnapped?  _I'm coming, Ann_!"

 

Ann chuckles. That's so Leslie. But she's the best friend she's picked and she has to deal with it.

 

"Nothing's wrong, Leslie. Calm down. I'm perfectly fine."

 

"The Germans made you say that, didn't they?"

 

"What… Germans, Leslie, really? You're doing it again."

 

A pause, then Leslie's voice comes back sheepish.

 

"Am I?"

 

" _Yes!_ "

 

"Sorry. I'm just… Sorry."

 

"It's fine."

 

On the other side of the line, Ann can hear the cries of a baby − or maybe two or more babies, with Leslie's crazy family.

 

"Is this a bad time to call?"

 

"What? Oh, you mean the kids? No, it's all right, BABE, CAN YOU CHECK ON THE KIDS? I THINK THAT'S STEVEN CRYING, BRING HIM TO ME IF HE'S HUNGRY. THANKS, HONEY. Ben's gonna take care of this. What's going on? Why did you call today? I mean, I love a chat, but you're usually always on time."

 

Ann puts a hand flat on her belly that is starting to show a bump, lets herself be soothed by the quiet rumbling of that gentle baby inside her, and dives in.

 

"I need to ask you something."

 

"Anything for you, Ann. Anything at all. You want me to come over?"

 

"… Leslie, I live hours away. Let's just talk about this one the phone, shall we?"

 

"Right. You're right. You're as practical as you're gorgeous, Ann."

 

"Thanks? I'm calling today because, well, Chris just went out for his pre-dinner 5K and I thought it'd be easier if I'm on my own."

 

"Alright…"

 

Ann takes the pictures they received at the doctor today, runs her thumb on the curve of the baby's little hand they were able to capture.

 

"Chris and I went for my ultrasound this morning."

 

"Oh my god, Ann, that's amazing! How is the baby doing?"

 

Ann smiles, still looking fondly at the pictures of the ultrasound. It's only been a few hours but she's already fallen in love with that little glob of cells that's coming out of her in just a few months.

 

"Great," she says. "Just  amazing. _She_ 's doing great."

 

"That's great to hear! Of course, you'd have a healthy baby, I mean, I'm sure your uterus is as comfortable and cozy as warm blankets just out of the dryer."

 

_Wait for it._

 

"WAIT! Did you just say "she"?!"

 

"Yep."

 

It feels great to let that joy out, that joy that's been bubbling up inside her for hours. She was overjoyed with her baby boy, she really was, but a girl, that's something else entirely. She's sure Leslie will agree.

 

"Oh my god, Ann, that's so awesome! You'll have a girl, and I have a girl, and yours can be Sonia's best friend, and she gets to marry either of the boys, and we'll have a complete legacy together! And really, a girl, that's exactly what…"

 

She goes into a longwinded speech on the importance of raising strong daughters, of giving them the tools they need to survive a man's world, of diverse female role models, and Ann nods along up until that point.

 

"It's funny you mention role models, because, well…"

 

"What is it, Ann?"

 

"Chris and I have decided on a name for a girl. We talked about it before and then today, after the ultrasound, we were both still on board."

 

"Oh that's great! Ben and I took  _so long_  to decide, we were only fixed on all names when I was five months along. He wanted to name our daughter  _Daisy_ , if you can believe that. How ridiculous."

 

Now is not the time to tell her that many couples wait until birth to choose a name and that five months along is actually very early, or that Daisy had actually been on Chris's list of names for a girl for a long time. She takes a big breath. She can do this. Leslie is her friend, her best friend, she's not going to think it's weird, is she?

 

"We've chosen a name, and it's not Daisy."

 

"What is it, then?"

 

"… Leslie."

 

"Yes, I'm listening. What's the name?"

 

"Leslie!"

 

"I'm listening, Ann! Stop yelling!"

 

"I mean the name is Leslie! We wanna name our daughter Leslie!"

 

"Oh…"

 

There's a moment of silence before either of them say anything. But then Ann hears  it.

 

"Leslie, are you crying?"

 

"No, I'm…" She sobs. "I'm not crying!"

 

"Leslie…"

 

"Okay, okay, I'm crying a little… No, babe, it's all right, it's good tears," she tells probably Ben. "Ann's on the phone with me. I'll tell you later."

 

"So, erm… What do you think?"

 

"Ann! This is the most beautiful thing you could ever do!" She sobs, sniffs, and talks again. "I don't know if I could ever repay you, I mean, we got all our kids already…"

 

"Leslie, god, it's not a competition. It's just…"

 

"What?"

 

"I love you so much, and I think about how much I loved being around you, and you're exactly the kind of person I want my daughter to grow up to be. I want her to know that, to grow up to be as amazing as you."

 

"Oh, Ann…"

 

"So, what do you say? Can I get my little Leslie?"

 

"You're so… I don't… Ann, you…"

 

More crying, more sobbing, until some other voice takes over Leslie's incoherent babbling.

 

"Hey, Ann, it's Ben."

 

"Hey, Ben."

 

"Leslie is having some sort of a happy breakdown right now, so it's me."

 

"Is she alright?"

 

"Yeah, she's fine, she's just… snotting all over my sleeve, thanks honey."

 

"Should I call her back?"

 

"I think that would be…"

 

"NO, ANN, I'M STILL HERE!" Leslie has apparently taken the phone back from Ben, and Ann hears her shooing him away.

 

"Great!"

 

"So, for your baby shower, I have to make completely new plans now, I was thinking…"

 

And on she goes. If the pregnancy is anything to go by, Ann thinks her own Leslie will not be half as intense as her best friend is, and that's all right. Any Leslie in her life is going to be someone she loves and cherishes, and she can't wait to meet the little one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	25. Things you said when you were crying/Things you said when I was crying (Benslie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben isn’t too happy about how his favorite show turned out. Vague spoilers for Game of Thrones season 5.

"I just don't get it!" Ben whines in between sobs.

Leslie holds him tight, his head buried in the crook of her neck. Tears are seeping through her pajama top, a stain as huge as his disappointment."I know, babe," she pats his back, "I know.""None of this happened like that in the books!""Of course it didn't," she strokes his hair, "I'm so sorry.""I... You shouldn't be sorry!" He manages to choke out between sobs, "I should!""Shhh, your wife is here, it's alright...""I was the one who got you into Game of Thrones in the first place! I thought... I thought you'd like the empowered female characters, and the way the series deals with patriarchy, and..."His voice breaks into a sobbing mess again. So much for their Game of Thrones night, just the two of them, with the babies at Andy and April's, she thinks. Oh well, they got married for better and for worse, and if Ben needs to cry his eyes out after watching one of his favorite characters violated on screen, so be it, she'll be there for him."I didn't know they would do  _that_  to Sansa!""You had no way to tell, darling, it's all their fault."He sniffs and pushes his face even closer to her, like a little kid."I don't know what took them. It's so  _sexist_.""Yes, yes it is."She hasn't been one to understand the details of the story at all, merely watching along to spend some time with Ben doing something he likes, but even she can tell that the narrative of the show has gone downhill.

 

"I just… I should have  _known_  this was where this was going…"

 

"Oh, honey, there was no way to tell, it's not your fault."

 

"I thought… I thought they wouldn't do that, even when they married her off to Ramsay. It made _no sense_ , I should have known…"

 

"Shh, baby boy, it's okay…"

 

"I'm just… I… I…" He breaks into sobs once more. It's been two hours since the episode ended, yet he's still crying over the fate of Sansa Stark. Not that she can blame him, she's incredibly offended and upset. She just has less of an attachment to the character than Ben does.

 

"Honey," she tells him and rubs soothing circles into his back, "Tell you what. I'm gonna bring you a nice blanket and some hot chocolate, okay?"

 

"… Okay."

 

"And then, I'm gonna give you A Feast for Crows and you're gonna read all the chapters of Sansa."

 

"Oh… Okay…"

 

"And then, you're gonna come to bed and give me a backrub cause you broke my back staying in the same position like that for two hours."

 

He sniffles and his hands, that were clutching her back, let go of her top. 

 

"Sorry."

 

"It's all right, I understand. Now, hush, you get all comfortable, babe, and I don't wanna see any more tears once you're done reading all the good stuff that happens to her in the books."

 

"Yes, ma'am."

 

They smile at each other, then Leslie stands up to make him some hot cocoa in the kitchen. By the time he's done reading, an hour and a half later, her back isn't even aching anymore, but she'll never pass up on a Ben Wyatt trademark backrub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	26. Things you said when you thought I was sleeping (Benslie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben wakes up in the middle of the night during his first night at Leslie’s.

Waking up at Leslie's house is certainly a whole new experience compared to what he's grown used to the past few weeks. Unlike April and Andy's place, there is no constant TV or video game noise, there are no weird smells at any given time of the day, there is no muffled (and most of the time not muffled at all) giggling and noaning and skin slapping against skin when they  _know_  he's trying to focus, there is no overgrown child hanging out in his bed playing on his phone when he's working. Admittedly, this is the first time he's been to Leslie's house, her giant messy birdnest of a house, but he's pretty confident he won't come across the same terrifying stuff as he has at Andy and April's. In fact, the only surprise he has is waking up to an empty bed late at night.

 

"Leslie?"

 

He looks around, doesn't see her. The glowing red numbers of her alarm clock tell him it's 1 am. For a second, his insecurity tells him that Leslie might have left him after their night together, but then, he remembers that he's at her place. She wouldn't leave her own house just to leave him. And she would definitely not go through all this trouble of breaking Chris's rule in the first place for just a one night stand. That's not Leslie Knope. Then he hears a burst of laughter from far away, the other side of the house, a laughter he'd recognize among thousands. He's learned to love this laugh, to work for it every day at City Hall, it's become his favorite part of the day. No part of him wants to go back to sleep when he can just listen to that laugh.

 

The wooden floor of Leslie's hall creaks with his steps as he makes his way through the house. The voice of Leslie as a guide, he finds her in the kitchen − her back is turned to him, her hair up in a messy bun, sitting casually on the only free chair by the kitchen table, one knee against her chest. In all her messy glory, she looks beautiful. She hasn't noticed him yet.

 

"I promise I'm not making this up, Ann! … No. No, no, I am… Three times… Yes… Yes, you're right… But I promise! It was that good."

 

She scrunches her nose when Ann's voice reply something in a muffled mumble Ben can't quite get, then laughs out loud again. He leans against the wall, makes himself comfortable to look at this gorgeous creature who may or may not be his girlfriend now.

 

"Oh, Ann, you beautiful creative cerulean hammerhead. You know I can't!"

 

The way the fickle light shines on her hair is something Ben wants to burn into his heart forever for future memory. She takes a sip of hot cocoa from a mug on the table, almost snorts it out when Ann says something funny. Ben smiles.

 

"I know you were right. I didn't think you'd be  _that_  right. He's just…"

 

Well, if Ben didn't think she was talking about him earlier, he can be just about sure now. And her voice sounds so soft, like she's having a beautiful dream… He's fallen for her, and hard, and there is no denying it now. 

 

"… exactly what I want. You know what I mean? I mean obviously, he's tall and cute and I love his butt, but he's just got this… Yes, that's exactly what I mean! You always get me so well, Ann."

 

Leslie yawns into her elbow, rubs the back of her head. This house is silent, but filled with Leslie, her voice, her laugh, her yawn, her excitement, and it's just as lively as April and Andy's in that sense.

 

"I don't think he did. I really don't. I mean, you dated him, you know how he is, right? … Yes, and a bit oblivious. I mean, he's great, and it breaks my heart to go behind his back, but it's such a stupid rule! … Yes… And in any case, well, if it's meant to be, it's meant to be, right? This just feels  _right_."

 

At this exact moment, Ben is incapable of any thought beyond how amazing Leslie is, and how lucky he is that his affections were reciprocated all along.

 

"I don't know, Ann, but I don't regret a thing. And, I mean, we'll always have my home as a resort. I was thinking maybe your office… Oh, Ann, you're such a great friend! I love you!"

 

The words have always rolled off Leslie's tongue easily when it comes to Ann. It's early for that, but Ben hopes some day he becomes the recipient of that kind of intense and easy love like Ann is.

 

"Ugh, I'm so lucky to have you… Yes, and him. Oh, he's sleeping… No, he didn't fall asleep right after! We watched some History Channel with some waffles, if you want the whole truth… Yes, he did. He's amazing like that, Ann! … Yes, I'll hold."

 

She taps her fingers on the table and puts down the phone before stretching her arms. Ben catches her hands in his, entrelacing their fingers, and she lets out a startled gasp before seeing him and smiling, turning around to face him.

 

"I'm amazing like that, huh?" he leans down for a kiss, and the hands that he's let go of burying themselves into his hair.

 

"How long have you been listening?" Her cheeks are red, her eyes down.

 

"Some time."

 

"Mmh."

 

"I didn't hear anything really awkward, if that's what you're worried about."

 

She breathes out quickly, relieved.

 

"Although I really wanna know what kind of embarrassing things I wasn't supposed to hear…"

 

Ann's voice interrupts that thought on the phone. Leslie picks it up immediately, gesturing for Ben to sit down next to her.

 

"Hey, erm, Ann, I'm sorry but I kind of need to hang up? … Yes… You know me so well!"

 

Ben scoots his chair just next to hers and starts dropping kisses down her neck − something he's learned she's very sensitive to. She bites back a giggle.

 

"Yes, I will… Fourth… Oh you know I am. I'll see you tomorrow, thanks Ann, bye, I love you, goodnight!" And she hangs up at once.

 

"Ann says hello."

 

He keeps on with his kisses and she can openly accept them, her voice a low rasp, as she wraps her arms around his neck.

 

"I was thinking…" She says and he bites down playfully. "I was thinking late night waffles?"

 

"There's other things I'd rather eat right now," he whispers and even though it's the lamest line, it works on her. 

 

"… I am very much in favor," she says as his hands find the soft skin of her belly, "But waffles afterwards?"

 

"Sounds perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	27. Things you said when you thought I was sleeping (April/Andy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy still has jetlag and April is sick of it.

In the few months Andy was gone, April had to get used to walking Champion on her own. It used to be one of their things together, before London, spending that time outdoors just the three of them, Andy and April and their pup, in any of Leslie's parks. When Andy was gone, it became an occasion for April to still feel connected and bonded with him because of the countless memories of Andy and Champion together, sometimes playing with dead leaves or splashing around in puddles. Now that he's back, it's a way for them to reconnect. Andy insists on walking Champion with her every single day even though he's completely exhausted. But after the walk, he still goes straight back to napping on the couch.

"'M just gonna snooze for a bit, babe," he says with a jaw-breaking yawn when they step back inside. He crashes head first onto the sofa. April sighs and drops onto her favorite armchair, frustrated.

"Champion!" she calls and their dog runs toward her and jumps on her lap.

There is some comfort in hugging her amazing dog and watching Andy sleep. She's done that before, these nights where sleep just won't come and Andy snores the day's exhaustion away. She takes comfort in watching him. Sometimes, he sleeps well enough for the both of them to feel rested. But it's very different right now.

She misses Andy now. She's missed him for months, thought about him all the time, even more than usual. He's finally come back to her and nothing compares to the joy of being able to see him, touch him, kiss him, hug him, but she misses him still, she wants him to get rid of this stupid jetlag and to get up and talk to her. Burying her face into Champion's fur, she closes her eyes and tries not to give any power to that sadness that she feels swelling inside her, her old unwanted friend.

"I love him so much, Champion," she whispers and Champion drops his head on her shoulder affectionately, as if he could sense her troubles.

"You remember that time we went on a walk, and you went to swin into that fountain, and Andy did the same, and he took all the quarters that people had thrown into the water and bought us some ice cream with the money?"

She shouldn't be expecting any answer from a dog, yet when Champion swishes his tail happily, she feels encouraged.

"Or when we were caught by surprise in that rainstorm? Andy gave me his coat, and he was so wet by the time we got home that he said he didn't need a shower that day."

She gets swept up in the nostalgia and when she tries to speak again, her voice remains broken in her throat. So she keeps silent and waits for time to pass. She looks at Andy, his big tall body that she likes to cuddle with, his messy hair that feels best right into her palms, his scrubby face that she likes against hers, his hands that just fit on her waist. Her husband. She likes the way his body rises, his nose scrunches up, his mouth hangs open. He's always slept with his mouth open. 

"I just love him so so much, Champion. I thought I'd die all alone, all these months without him."

And then Andy turns around, throws his head back and looks at her upside down from the end of the couch.

"Babe, you are so into me!"

Champion immediately jumps off April's lap to hop on Andy on the couch. Andy pets him, but keeps his eyes on April, a big dumb grin on his face.

"Oh my god, you jerk, how long have you been awake?! I… I miss you like crazy and you're there pretending to sleep!"

"What? No! I literally just woke up and heard you say that right now!"

"You promise?"

"I pinky promise! I swear on Champion's head!"

"M'kay…"

"Come here," he holds up his arms and she snuggles up against him on the couch, Champion beside her. Andy strokes her hair and it feels almost like everything is entirely back to what it was before.

"I don't like your stupid jetlag," she mutters.

"I'm sorry, babe."

"Are you gonna try to not fall asleep all the time?"

"Of course, honey, anything for you."

"You wanna dig a hole in the garden for Champion?"

"Totally! He likes to pretend he dug them himself!"

He stands up at once and takes Champion under one arm, direction the garden. April picks up her phone to take a video and follows him. Maybe some rough playing with their doggie is going to chase the jetlag away. In any case, it'll make for a good YouTube video.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	28. Things you said when you were crying (Benslie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben isn’t dealing with his break-up with Leslie well. Not well at all.

Andy doesn't really know what he was expecting. With Chris and Ann, he was told they'd been trying for quite some time before Ann got pregnant. With Ben and Leslie, he never asked how long it took between the moment they decided they stopped using protection and the moment Leslie got pregnant − he's not sure he wants to know that much about their sex life, really. That's their thing. With Ron, he knows that he was using protection with Diane and it still happened. So really, he had no way to measure how long it would take. One thing is certain, he didn't expect April to sit him down on the couch three weeks after they discussed her desire to have a child.

"I'm pregnant," she finally admits after a good ten minutes of skipping around, sighing, trying to say it, not being able to say it and finally some cuddling to comfort her.

His heart skips a few beats before what she says registers. 

"You're… you're pregnant?" He feels so excited the words he wants to say won't come out, like his brain is trying to say things that his mouth won't speak out.

She bites her lip and nods.

"You… We… This for real?"

"Super real," she says in a tiny little voice. "I took like four different tests to be sure, I had to drink tons of Kool Aid to pee that much."

"That's… Oh my god, babe, that is so amazing!"

His heart is beating fast and the more time goes by, the more the news start to really print on him.

"So…" she swirls her finger around the strings of his hoodie, "What do you think?"

"Babe, I'm so happy right now, you have no idea!"

"It's pretty great, right?" Her smile is shy and pretty and she bites her lip like she always does when she wants him to reassure her.

"It's better than great, babe! This is… This is what I always wanted, oh my god!"

He pulls her onto his lap − carefully, because there is his actual baby in there − and gives her the most heartfelt hug he's ever given in his life ever. He starts to picture what their baby might look like, but all he sees is a tiny April with cute cheeks and beautiful brown eyes and dark hair and soft skin and his heart just bursts.

"Are you… crying?"

"What?" He says and rubs the tears streaming down his cheeks. "No, of course not!"

"You are so crying."

"I'm just… I'm so so happy, babe, you have no idea!"

"I'm the one who's pregnant, Andy, I have some idea."

"You're right, babe, you're so smart."

April makes herself comfortable on his lap, hugging him close, and now that the cat's out of the bag, he lets the tears run freely. All sorts of things come to his mind, teaching his son a perfect spin (if the baby is a boy), hugging him, playing in the mud with him and Champion, watching him grow and walk and talk and become a normal person you can do things with and talk to. He thinks about the triplets and makes a mental note to ask Leslie if they all wanna be the child's godparents, Leslie and Ben and Steven and Sonia and Wesley, and they'll all eat cake to celebrate. He thinks about April and how she's gonna be the best mom ever in the whole world, and they're gonna dress up for Halloween all three of them. This is all gonna be so awesome.

"You all right, babe?" she asks as he sobs against her hair.

"I'm just so damn happy!"

It takes him forty five minutes to calm down, that he spends telling April all the great things he sees in their future, thanking her, hugging and kissing her. And when they tell Leslie about it, a few days later, and she cries about it as well, it takes a full two hours for either of them to even be intelligible. Lucky the future mother is there to calm them down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	29. Things you said when you were crying (April/Andy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April has some news to share with Andy

In the middle of Ben's bath, someone attempts to open the bathroom door , shaking the doorknob repeatedly and with much more energy than Ben can deal with right now. Thinking about energy just makes him think about Leslie, and thinking about Leslie is too much to handle. Even though he hasn't had a single thought not about her for hours. 

 

"Ben? Ben, is that you?"

 

Andy knocks, or rather pounds on the door almost roughly enough to break the frame. Ben sighs and slips further into the water.

 

" _Of course_  it's me, Andy. Who else would it be?"

 

Silence.

 

"Yeah, I guess there's just the three of us at home and April's here with me."

 

" _Yeah_."

 

Another silence. Then a quiet knock.

 

"Can you get out now? Cause I gotta pee real bad."

 

Ben sighs and opens his eyes, staring at the ceiling. For the past hours, he's felt like his heart has been swelling inside his chest, taking up places in him he never even knew existed, filling him with a profound sadness he never thought he'd experience.

 

"I'm taking a bath, Andy," he sighs. "I'll get out in a while."

 

He thinks back of the last warm bath he took − last week, with a certain blonde government employee at her place in her old cast iron bathtub. It had a very happy ending. Not like tonight's dinner with her, he thinks, and rubs his eyes, but his hands were wet from the bath anyway and it has little effect.

 

"Ugh! What am I supposed to do?!"

 

"Just hold it for a minute, okay?!" 

 

Ben probably sounds more agressive than he should. He just feels that he should have the right to be left alone in his bath. It's cold by now, but it's just what he deserves after all. A cold lonely bath on a cold lonely night. He breathes in deeply, sighs, tries not to think about Leslie, thinks about Leslie anyway, and suddenly Andy kicks the door in and shatters his thoughts. 

 

"ANDY, WHAT THE HELL?!"

 

"Told you I was strong enough, babe!" Andy says with the broadest proudest smile to April, who is in the doorway.

 

"Oh my god, guys, I'm in the bath! Go away!"

 

"Oh, wow, dude, you're naked there!"

 

"I don't bathe fully clothed, Andy!"

 

Ben tries to gather bubbles to cover himself but he didn't put that much soap in the bath to begin with (it's a sadness bath, not a happy splashing bubbles around bath), just enough to get clean, and he is almost completely exposed.

 

"Dude, are you  _crying_?" Andy realizes and backs away immediately. "Oh my god, I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

"I'm not…" Ben tries to lie but then again, his cheeks are still wet, and it's not from the bath.

"I'm so sorry, I… I'll just go pee in a glass or something."

"Andy, don't… Ugh."

Andy's gone before Ben can even tell him it's a terrible idea.

 

"It's Leslie, right?"

 

April is leaning against the door frame, looking away from him (he hopes it's out of respect but it's probably really out of disgust). She's holding up a pen like a cigarette, trying to look fancy for whatever reason.

 

"What are you talking about?" Lying, the good old secure way. No way that fools April, but she might get bored and leave him alone.

 

"We know what's going on,  _Ben_. It's not some big mystery."

 

"Look, this isn't a conversation I'd like to have while lying in a cold bath with the door of the bathroom kicked in. Please give me some space."

 

She sighs and taps her fingers on the door frame, pretending to take a puff from that pen. Then she's gone.

 

Ben glances at the doorway to see if any of them is still here − they aren't. He grabs a towel (itchy − Andy probably did the laundry this time) and wraps it around his waist, and quickly walks to his room, looking straight at the ground to avoid meeting any eyes. He shuts − almost slams − the door of his room and sits on his bed, his head between his hands. For a while, one minute, one hour, he can't bring himself to move, to do anything. He keeps thinking about Leslie, and her shiny beautiful hair and how soft it felt between his fingers, and her bright eyes that held all the wit and the love in the world, and the way she looked at him when he kissed her first − and when he kissed her last. Then, after god knows how long, he gets up, puts on sweatpants and a T-shirt (he ignores the T-shirt from the Harvest Festival) and lies on his bed, staring at the ceiling. There are tears in his eyes, but he feels they might never dry up again.

 

A knock comes once again.

 

"What is it  _now_?"

 

"Sorry, Ben, erm…" Andy's voice is timid, like the time he broke Ben's favorite Star Wars figurine. "We were wondering if maybe you wanted to watch some TV with us?"

 

"No."

 

"We were thinking we could watch maybe Batman? The first one? April made popcorn."

 

Ben rubs his eyes and tries not to think about the movies he watched with Leslie. 

 

"I don't know, Andy."

 

"I think it could be good. And we promise not to talk about… Ouch, babe, that hurt!" 

 

Ben hears April whispering something that he can't quite decipher.

 

"So, you wanna come with us? You love Batman!"

 

He takes a big breath and lets it out slowly, then stands up and opens the door. Andy had been leaning on it, apparently listening through the wood, but pretends he wasn't when Ben looks at him. Ben knows his eyes are red, probably puffy, and he is definitely still feeling tears running down from time to time − how can they not, when he's lost the woman of his dreams − but he is beyond caring about keeping up appearances.

 

"Great! Ben! Yay! Come with us, Ben!"

 

Andy puts his arm around Ben's shoulders and drags him to the living room. On the couch, he sits between Ben and April and puts on the movie. They even let him comment on the plotholes and April only sighs three times during the whole movie. At some point during the night, Ben's eyes are no longer that itchy and he doesn't find his cheeks wet when he leans against his palm. The pain is still there, and it's so late at night that it may just be his body is too tired to let him cry, but at least it's something. He goes to bed thinking about Leslie, wakes up thinking about her, but he is just about sure he will never stop thinking about this wonderful woman who was everything he ever wanted. If he can just stop sobbing every time he so much as thinks about her, maybe that's enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	30. Things you never said at all (Benslie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Leslie just got back together, and Ben knows what he’s going to do if Chris wants to inflict some punishment.

The part of their relationship Ben missed the most when they were apart isn't so much the physical aspect of it. Obviously, being intimate with Leslie is incredible and a miracle in its own right, the sex and the kisses, the hugs and the cuddles, all of it. But as he lies in her bed that night, together again for the first time after far too many nights apart, and Leslie's warm body is snuggled right against his, he realizes that what he missed the most is listening to Leslie talk. For two months, it used to make him sad and heartbroken, knowing that he couldn't listen to her without thinking about how she used to talk specifically to him and about things only boyfriends got to hear. Now he feels he could listen to her all night long, not sleep, and he'd be okay with that. Granted, all Leslie seems to be talking about tonight is the risk involved in their relationship, and that's not exactly his favorite topic, but it only serves to remind him that they're together again now, and that makes up for every anxiety.

 

"Are you sure about this?" Leslie asks for the bilionth time. "I don't want you to…"

 

"Leslie, we talked about this. I'm completely sure. You're the one who's allowed to have doubts right now, I mean, your campaign…"

 

"Don't talk about that. I don't wanna think about it right now. It's for tomorrow."

 

She kisses his neck softly, like only she can do, as if to thank him for being there. He should be the one thanking her, for her mere existence. Still, he closes his eyes and takes in the moment. 

 

"What will you do if Chris decides to punish us? I mean, we can always take the first flight to Uruguay. I know you don't like the heat, but I've heard they've got great schools and their president is good for…"

 

Ben chuckles and pulls her close as she continues to babble for a while. With one finger, he lifts up her chin to look into her eyes − that's a sight he missed, too, her beautiful blue eyes. Right now, they're wide open and anxious. She's nervous, that much is clear.

 

"It'll be fine," he says.

 

"But if it isn't…"

 

Then we'll figure it out."

 

She sighs and falls back against his shoulder, nuzzling against his neck.

 

In all honesty, Ben is mentally prepared to deal with any situation, even a case where things aren't actually fine. If their two months apart taught him anything, it's that a long as he's with Leslie, he's happy and nothing can really go wrong. When they're not together, his whole soul aches and craves for its mate. 

 

"I'm so happy to be here with you, anyway," she says. "When we broke up, I just… I couldn't…"

 

He kisses her forehead softly, keeps her close.

 

"I know. Me too."

 

"I don't think I've felt this way before, Ben."

 

"I know that feeling."

 

Love is the feeling.  _I love you, Leslie._  The words have been begging to come out of his mouth ever since that kiss in the smallest park of Indiana, yet he waits for the right moment, the perfect moment, when the words would have a strong and intense feel to them. Leslie Knope doesn't deserve a cheap first "I love you" after some getting back together sex. She deserves a first "I love you" under the moonlight, on a boat on a lake with a million waterlilies spelling her name, with classical music and a ten-feet tall tower of waffles.

 

And that's why he keeps his calm. He loves Leslie, and whatever comes up, he'll be the one who volunteers to take all the damage upon himself. No matter what it brings about. 

 

"What are you thinking about?" Leslie asks.

 

"How much I care about you," he answers truthfully. "And you? What are you thinking about?"

 

"If I could cite your perfect butt as an official justification for my temptation."

 

"I'd like to see Chris hear that," he chuckles.

 

"Better than saying I fell for my boss without warning, despite him being a big meanie."

 

"Not sure either will be a good excuse, really."

 

"Well, we'll have to wait and see."

 

"In any case, it'll make you feel better."

 

"Promise?"

 

Ben thinks of every sacrifice he's ready to make, and then Leslie strokes her thumb over his chest in soothing circles, like she always did, and he pushes the thoughts away. Why would he think about all these possible outcomes when he can just focus on the woman he's ready to sacrifice everything for?

 

"Promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	31. Things you said when you were scared (Ben + Wesley)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ben runs away from Sonia's wrath, he finds that someone is already hiding in his usual hiding spot.

His heart is pumping faster and faster. His hands are moist and shaking. His legs feel like they stopped responding to his direct orders.  _Walk. Run. Now._  Ben Wyatt is scared. He looks around, trying to determine the fastest way to the car to get out of the city, possibly the county or the state, but it's all too late. He can already hear the key turning into the front door lock and he  _runs_  faster than he ever has in his entire life. 

 

He doesn't stop even if he hears the voices of the two ladies of the house in the hall. In fact, it makes him run away even faster. Finally, he finds the perfect hiding spot: under the bed. He drops to the floor, crawls underneath… and touches warm skin. He almost shrieks but somehow, his fear of getting caught is even bigger than his fear of whoever this is. And he is right in his judgment: the tiny whisper that comes right after is his son's voice.

 

"Dad?"

 

"Wesley, god, what are you doing here?!"

 

"Hiding from Mom. Is she home?"

 

"Just came back a minute ago."

 

For a while there's just silence and Ben trying to catch his breath. He tries to listen, to spot any shouting and yelling downstairs, but the drumming of his heart is too loud.

 

"What are you doing here, Dad?" Wesley peeps in that still squeaky voice of his.

 

"Hiding from your sister."

 

"Oh."

 

"I… kind of glued pages of her favorite book together by accident."

 

"'Twenty First Century Indiana'? Damn, she won't like that…"

 

"Yeah, tell me about it."

 

Little by little, his heart stops thunderin and starts beating like a normal person's heart should.

 

"I spilled tea on Mom's scrapbook."

 

"Which one?"

 

Leslie literally owns thousands of scrapbooks of her own making.

 

"The one with pictures of Auntie Ann pregnant. Me and Oliver, we were just checking it out, but then we got tea on it somehow. He ran away but I couldn't go there, she'd just know it was me if I went hiding to his house."

 

"So instead you hid under the bed?"

 

Wesley crawls closer, nudging Ben under the shoulder as has been the way he asks for hugs ever since he was a toddler. Ben wraps his arm around him to the best of his abilities in such a narrow and dark space.

 

"I panicked, Dad," Wesley says, his voice muffled as he buries his head against Ben's shoulder.

 

"It's all right. It's gonna be all right."

 

"Is it, though? You know how Mom is with Ann, I mean, sometimes, it feels that she loves her more than us…"

 

"Hey, don't say that…"

 

Wesley gives him a sheepish sad look.

 

"What?"

 

"There is no one your mom loves more than you three in the entire world. Honestly. She'd throw me under a bus for you any time."

 

Wesley chuckles. 

 

"I don't think Sonia's gonna be that mad," he tries to say kindly but they get interrupted.

 

" _Mad for what?_ "

 

Sweat runs down his back when he sees the small feet of his daughter in the doorway. Before he even has the time to pretend he's not here, he hears the shrill angry voice of his dear wife from down the hall.

 

"Wesley! What did you do to my Ann album?! Where are you?"

 

"They're in here, Mom. Bedroom. Dad's hiding, too."

 

Ben and Wesley look at each other, their eyes wide with fear, and nod. They get out of their hiding spot (which did not hide much at all, it seems) at the same time. Time to face the wrath of the ladies in their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	32. Things you said at the kitchen table (April/Andy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy interrupts April's thoughts with an idea for their one month anniversary.

"This place is such a mess," April says when her foot gets stuck in a cardboard box lying around for the third time since they walked in. Andy looks around and chuckles.

 

"Yeah, it kind of is, sorry about that."

 

"I mean, I love it, it reminds me of a venomous snakes nest that people might fall into and die."

 

"Awww, babe!"

 

April snorts. Andy always does that: she'll say something creepy, and then he'll laugh and make her feel all warm inside with his smiles. She supposes that's what boyfriends do when they love their girlfriends. Make 'em feel good. 

 

"Ugh, Burly didn't buy any food…" Andy whines after checking all cupboards in the kitchen.

 

"Don't you have like a secret keepsafe for crackers or candy or something?" 

 

They came back to Andy's place (which is really his friend Burly's place, but the guy just spends all of his time at his girlfriend's) after breaking into Ron's office and switching things around to mess with him, and April thought they'd just hang out but Andy said he was starving. Suddenly, his eyes go wide and he points at her, as if she's just had the best idea in the world. Dropping to his knees, he pulls open the last drawer at the bottom of the left side cupboard, then stands up with the biggest doofiest grin lighting up his face.

 

"Burly's secret Halloween candy hiding spot! He stores them there and thinks I don't know."

 

"Score!"

 

He puts down the bag of candy on the table and tears it open.

 

"Man, this is  _good_!" he moans after he's taken a handful and shoved it into his mouth. She picks one − it actually is really good candy. Then again, stolen food always tastes better.

 

"D'you wanna order take-outs or something, or d'you wanna just eat candy?"

 

"What do  _you_  want?"

 

"I mean, I'd like some tacos. You like tacos?"

 

  
_I like your face_ , she thinks, but she just nods. He grabs Burly's house phone hidden under a trash bag and dials a number − only Andy would know the number of the nearest Taco Bell by heart. As he orders ten of their special tacos (she suspects at least nine of these are just for him), he's staring at her and smiling like this is the best thing that's happened since sliced bread. She takes another piece of candy and thinks about how she really wants to run her hands in his hair when his head is between her legs. Maybe tonight.

 

"Babe," he asks after he's hung up. "They make special offers next week, we should totally go there on Thursday."

 

He's looking at her expectantly. Is Thursday his new favorite day now? Will they be eating ice-cream in a pillow fort on Thursdays instead of Saturdays? Or tacos, it seems.

 

"Sure."

 

"Cool! I mean, we gotta do something special, like going there instead of ordering here."

 

He picks up a pop ring and is about to lick it (a sight she's always eager to behold) when he sees that she's not quite following what he means.

 

"Aww, babe, you forgot? It's our one month anniversary on Thursday."

 

She  _did_  forget. Trust Andy to be the most thoughtful boyfriend in the world and remember cute shit like this. Not that she doesn't care. She's cherished every day with him. She just hasn't counted them. 

 

"You wanna celebrate by eating tacos?"

 

"You don't like tacos?" he asks, disappointed. "I thought you said…"

 

"Tacos are fine," she says quickly and grabs his hand. Nice, soft, callused fingers. Mmh. She shakes that thought off for now. "I like tacos."

 

"You look kinda disappointed though…" he says andrubs his scruffy chin. "Mmh, gotta think of something else…"

 

"Dude, I swear, I li…"

 

"What if we got married tomorrow?" he cuts her.

 

She's taken aback and her heart skips a few beats when she hears that. She looks at his face for any sign that this is a prank − she's still not completely convinced that this is all real sometimes, him being her loving and faithful boyfriend, much less future husband? But all she sees is complete honesty in his eyes, and love, and hope and affection, and she feels overwhelmed. Her brain is telling her dozens of things at a time and if she gives her mind any reason to doubt, she'll end up losing herself in that dark place of insecurity, the place she's been trying her darndest not to fall into again, so she lets her heart take the reins.

 

"Fine."

 

He breaks into the biggest smile she's ever seen on his face, even bigger than that time he won a fight against a raccoon for a ham sandwich. 

 

"Wow, really?"

 

"I said fine."

 

"Oh my god, babe, that's so awesome! Wait, wait, I didn't do the proposal!"

 

"What are you talking about? You just did."

 

"Nah, I mean, I did, but with the ring and all! Ugh, I got no ring…"

 

He looks around, as if he expected a jewelry store to magically appear out of thin air in the middle of the room, but then it comes to him when he lifts his hand to his mouth to eat his candy. 

 

"Okay, I got a ring!" he says and holds up his ring pop. "Still okay to marry me? You said fine, right?"

 

"Still fine," she says, trying to hide her grin. She's pretty sure her cheeks are all red − at least, they feel warm.

 

"YES!" he says and shoves the ring pop into his mouth to celebrate. 

 

"Andy…"

 

"Oops."

 

She'll have to be a ring-less fiancée for a day, then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	33. Things you said with too many miles between us (Tomcy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy and Tom's low key friendship throughout the years.

 

It starts with just one text, the night after the party for the end of the world.

 

_Had a great time with you last night. Hope the next business ends up better._

 

Tom stares at Lucy's text, the memory of her lips on his still fresh in his mind. He can almost feel the kiss again, the softness of it, and wishes it had lasted longer. Like an idiot, he leaves the text unanswered for a few days because he doesn't know how to respond. What are you supposed to tell your ex-girlfriend (who dumped you because you were still into someone else) after she kissed you and walked away? So, a few days go by and after that, it's too late to answer it without sounding like a total jagweed who waits six days to answer a text anyway.

 

The next text comes after Ann broke up with him, three months later. Tom is waiting for the results of the City Council elections when his phone lights up with Lucy's name.

 

_Did you know about J Ralphio's youtube channel? That guy is crazy!_

 

He does know about the channel − wishes he didn't. On the other side of the room, Ann is talking to Chris. Tom feels his heart clench in his chest and sadness covering him like a blanket. Why can't the women he cares about be there for him? He's still not sure where Lucy stands with him after that kiss, but he does know she lives far far away from Pawnee. And he's starting to have less and less faith in his dream that Ann is taking him back tonight. He'll just have to get used to the idea that Ann will never be into him. He pockets his phone and orders another shot.

 

He actually does answer that text the next day, after waking up on his couch with Ann in his bed (kind of disappointed nothing happened on that front). Jean Ralphio's videos are too crazy not to talk about anyway.

 

_I know, right? Have you seen the one with the dancer? I thought the bouncer would rip his throat right there on the spot. Dude is nuts._

 

And so it starts, the texting. Not often, not every day, not even every month, but enough to know neither has forgotten the other.

 

_Have you seen the new Nicki Minaj clip? Girl knows how to shake it!_

 

(He has, and more than once)

 

_Hey, I'm launching this new business next week, wanna come to the opening?_

 

(She can't, and it's just as well, considering Mona Lisa is there too)

 

Once, Mona Lisa slaps him, shouts that it's over, makes out with him hardcore and gives him a blowjob all in the same five minutes. When he asks her if she wants to spend the night, she snickers, takes a fifty from his wallet and climbs out by the back window because "you never know when the police is gonna show up and the car deal was only last week." Tom has no idea what deal she even means, but he has the feeling it might be better if he doesn't. The second Mona Lisa is gone, his phone buzzes.

 

_Moved in with Meg last week. Check out that big-ass screen! Everything alright with that new business?_

 

  
_The business is fine_ , he thinks, _but I fear for my safety every day._  He can't exactly say that to Lucy, though. He's not sure what the rules are, but he's pretty sure talking about your current girlfriend with an ex is a big no-no. There's probably no rule talking about TV screens, though, and the one Lucy sent him a pic of is  _dope_.

 

It's not exactly a friendship, but it's not nothing at all, this thing they have. A few times a year, they check up on each other, mostly superficial stuff, but it's still something. Sometimes he thinks about how fun and hot she was, but then again, Ann was just as hot, Mona Lisa could be super fun when she wasn't actively threatening him, and Nadia was definitely both at the same time before she left him for stupid Doctors Without Borders. Most of the time, Lucy is out of his mind. And it's not like he's that lonely to mope on some ex.

 

There does come a period of dry spell for him, though. Tom's Bistro remains as much work as any business can be, and he is immensely proud of his success, but that does mean less time for dating. When Andy and him decide to get a drink to celebrate an article about him, Tom takes the first shot. He's always been a sad drinker, though, and this proposal happening yet another time in his restaurant reminds him how single he is. After more drinks than he should have had with his bodytype, just as Andy and him go through his phone to solve that, Lucy's name comes up with a message she's just sent on Gryzzlbook.

 

_Hey Tom! Saw the article, you boss! Let's catch up soon… miss you!_

 

She's changed her profile pic recently and looks smoking. His mind is buzzing with alcohol and memories of her and after Andy says they should go to Chicago, everything falls into place. Lucy and Tom. Tom and Lucy. He'll ask her to come back to Pawnee (he knows she still has family here), she'll say yes, they'll fall in love again and spend the rest of their lives together. He may be drunk but he's not stupid. There's no way this isn't the perfect foolproof plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	34. Things you said after you kissed me (Knopekins)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set at the end of Telethon, Leslie is sleeping on Ann's couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want your own drabble, contact me on my tumblr parksandfluff and send some prompts :)

Ann's heart is thumping so loud in her chest she's barely able to follow what's going on on screen anymore. Not that it matters. She just put on some reruns of Friends to pass the time waiting for Leslie to wake up after 22 hours of sleep on her couch, but her mind is otherwise occupied. Namely by Leslie cuddling up against her side in her sleep. And the way her hair slides and bounces on her shoulder with every breath. And her mouth just a little bit open, pink with gloss and beautiful, that begs to be... Ann looks away and counts to ten, breathing deeply, trying to calm down.

 

Her mind has  _not_  fallen back in its high school state, back when any cute guy or girl who smiled and took her by the arm stole her heart. That is  _not_  what happened with Leslie, and her big hugs and even bigger smiles, her endless energy, her open devotion to anyone or any cause at all, her shiny, shiny hair and her eyes that sparkle. Of course not. Ann is not some weirdo who crushed on her best friend even as she was dating a guy. And even if she had, it's not like Leslie would reciprocate. She can get any guy she wants. Except that she actually did fall in love with her best friend, who might be straight, and who might hate her forever if she learned the truth.

 

All Ann is going to have to settle for is times like this, Leslie right against her in her sleep, all the scraps of intimacy she'll ever get.  She's pretty sure anyone in their right mind would call her creepy if they knew. That's why she's not telling anyone. Ever. What's the point in embarrassing herself? It's hard enough to deal with these thoughts on her own. Upsetting Leslie by sharing them would make everything absolutely worse in every way. 

 

Yet there's moments like these, with Leslie all snuggled up against her under the blanket, where she wonders. What if she wasn't the only one feeling this? She dated Mark for the better part of the year, yet she feels that she's loved Leslie for even longer. It's definitely one of the reasons why she broke up with him: she felt like no one could ever measure with her best friend. What if Leslie thought the same thing about her own failed romances?

 

But her thoughts get interrupted by Leslie slowly stirring herself awake. She yawns, stretches her legs in front of her (during a brief moment of awareness a few hours ago, Leslie sat up, but by the time Ann stood up to fetch her a cup of hot chocolate, she was snoring again) and goes back to cuddling.  _Not helping, Knope._  


 

"Leslie?"

 

"Mmh…" Leslie grunts.

 

It'd be very easy to believe Leslie has gone back to sleep, if not for her arm snaking around Ann's waist, holding onto her. _What is happening? Be careful, Perkins. Be very, very careful._  


 

"Leslie, are you awake?"

 

No answer. In the background, some recorded laughter is played in reaction to some joke on Friends, but Ann is not in the mood for a laugh at all. She tries to think nothing of this all, but with Leslie's thumb stroking her skin softly through the fabric, her face nuzzling against Ann's shoulder, relaxing is not an option.  _This is not normal._  She has never felt this tense.  _She's still sleeping,_  she tells herself.  _She didn't sleep for two full days before coming over. She's just sleeping._ But it's not like Ann can just ignore it. Sleeping or not, the fact is that Leslie is getting far closer to Ann than she ever has, cuddling not like a best friend,  but like a girlfriend would. Ann's throat is tightening. This can't go on. Leslie's soft but unmistakable light kiss where her neck meets her shoulder is the final straw. 

 

"LESLIE!"

 

Now there's no doubt that Leslie is awake, for she scrambles to her feet immediately, her eyes wide with shock, hands on her mouth. 

 

"What? What?! What is happening?" Her voice comes muffled through her fingers. 

 

"Leslie, you were…" Ann's voice trails off, but she takes a big breath and tells herself she can do it. "You were kissing me just now. Right here."

 

She feels weird and silly pointing to her neck, but judging by Leslie's expression, she's not the only one feeling that way. For a while she feels like she should just pretend nothing happened and she never said a thing, but then Leslie opens her mouth to say something, finds nothing, and runs away. 

 

"Leslie!" She runs after Leslie, grabs her arm, but Leslie won't look at her. "Hey, I'm not mad."

 

Leslie turns away, tearing her arm away from Ann's grasp, rubbing it as if she's just been burnt. 

 

"Oh, Ann…"

 

"Just be honest with me."

 

She looks up and her eyes piercing into Ann's seem more hesitant than she's ever seen them. Leslie has doubts sometimes, of course, like all human beings (even though sometimes Ann thinks Leslie is more like a superhuman), but this seems like a whole new level. Ann's heart is drumming inside her chest. Leslie takes a big breath and looks like she wants to be anywhere but here, but talks nonetheless.

 

"I think I like you," she says and swallows thickly. 

 

Ann can feel her heart fluttering and her cheeks feel warm, but she lets Leslie continue.

 

"I was so relieved when you dumped Mark, because I never liked you dating him, and at first I thought it was because I was jealous of you, but then I realized it was because I was jealous of him," she says in one breath. "And right now I thought I was having an amazing dream but it sounds like I actually wasn't and it was real and I've never felt more embarrassed in my life and I have to go  _right now_."

 

  
_Now's your time, Perkins._ No way she's letting Leslie go after this. Never. She can't quite believe what she's doing, because this is something she never thought she'd get, ever, but she grabs Leslie's waist and pulls her into a kiss. 

 

Kissing Leslie is everything she thought it'd be, and completely different. Her lips are soft and taste sweet, almost sugary, but she isn't responding whatsoever. After a few seconds, Ann pulls away, afraid she's heard things wrong, or this was all a prank, or Leslie has second thoughts. She certainly looks like she's been struck by lightning. She touches her lips, as if she has no idea what just happened.

 

"… Leslie?"

 

Then Leslie grabs her cheeks and their second kiss holds all the passion their first one should have had. So does the third, and the fourth, and the fifth, and in the end, there is no need for words. Ann's heard everything she wanted to hear anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	35. Things you said under the stars and in the grass (Benslie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Leslie miss their best friends.

There is nothing that will ever dull the pain of missing Ann, Leslie tells herself every day when she passes by her best friend and soul sister's old house to check on the park being built on lot 48. She remembers all the times she drove there for late night counselling, all the amazing discussions and movie nights and project planning, right there behind that wall, in a room where other people live in now.

 

"You ready, babe?" Ben wraps his arm around her shoulders and kisses her cheek. She takes one last look at the house that was her best friend's − at least one last look for today − and nods. 

 

"I'm ready."

 

The opening of her park on the Pawnee commons is majestic. People in costumes, all sorts of food and snacks (a special stand by JJ attracts all her favors), activities and games and speeches, even a Wamapoke storyteller tells tales of his tribe's past to the children − stories that happened before the white men came. Even April (who hates people) and Tom (who hates grass) both say they've had a lot of fun by the time the day is at its end. Soon, people begin to leave. Hours pass and Leslie ends up the last one still out there cleaning. Well, almost the last one. Just as she's throwing away a bag of trash full of plastic glasses and plates, Ben's warm hands find her waist from behind and circle her big, big belly. She startles (she thought he was on car duty, driving everyone home, but he must have been done with it earlier than she thought) but is quick to lean back against him for support. 

 

"Are you coming home soon or do I have to drag you?" he asks.

 

She chuckles tiredly. Ever since she reached her seventh month, she's been feeling tired. A lot. And at the most untimely hours. 11 pm, really, what is she, an eighty year old? No one feels tired that early. She can't wait for the children to come out. Saperstein said it should be done before the end of the month.

 

"Why, are you going to?"

 

His mouth drops a kiss against the crook of her neck. Her one weakness. Dam you, Wyatt.

 

"I might."

 

She feels the warmth of his breath against her skin.

 

"Just give me a minute, okay?" she asks. "I want to take it all in one last time tonight."

 

"Uh huh."

 

She turns around, leans up to give him a kiss, then sets for a walk through the park,  _her_  park, Ben's hand in hers.

 

"It's a beautiful park," he notes after a while.

 

"Mmh."

 

She drops onto the ground in the lawn that's not yet covered in dog poop, lost toys, used condoms and trash. Patting the grass next to her, she invites Ben to sit by her side to lean against him. He's been her human wall of support for months now. 

 

"Are you all right?" he asks softly. "You've been awfully quiet today."

 

She sighs.

 

"Yeah, it's just…" Ben's hand on her arm is warm and comforting. "This was my project with Ann, you know? And now she's in Michigan. Far far away from our park."

 

He pulls her closer, right against him in a cocoon of safety and softness, and kisses the top of her head. One of his hands finds her gigantic belly under her shirt, as he likes to do, and his circling patterns on her skin are quite soothing.

 

"You know," he finally says, "Chris was the only friend I had for eleven years."

 

"He was?"

 

"Yeah, I mean, we were never… soulmates or whatever you and Ann are. But still, he was a huge part of my life."

 

"Makes sense."

 

"I guess what I mean is you're not the only one looking forward to their calls."

 

For a while, Leslie just sits there, cuddling against her perfect husband, enjoying her park after a full day of work.

 

"It's weird, isn't it?" 

 

"What's weird?" he asks.

 

Her hands find his on her stomach.

 

"How we're so tiny on this planet, yet we still get lucky enough to find that one perfect person that's everything we ever hoped for in this world. How lucky is that?"

 

"Are you… still talking about Ann?"

 

"Maybe." He chuckles, his chest shaking against her. "But also about you."

 

"I love you," he answers and somehow there's no more needed.

 

She's probably going to regret sitting for so long when she has to stand back up − her back is killing her these days − but it feels great to be here under the stars with her husband. There is sadness in missing Ann and the pain that comes with achieving this alone when it was supposed to be a two person victory. But it's also a soothing kind of sadness, that's tightly bound to the joy of bringing that project to completion after so many years. And there's also the joy in knowing that whatever she's going through, she's also going through with Ben.

 

"I'm proud of this," she says.

 

"You should be. It's perfect."

 

He's smiling at her in that way only he does, and only for her. She can't resist giving him a kiss − his lips are always as soft as his smiles. 

 

"You wanna head back home?" he asks. "You need to rest."

 

"Oh, chill out, you. The babies aren't coming for another two weeks!"

 

He gives her that same look he's been giving her ever since she told him about the little pink strikes, and especially since they learned they were having triplets. That look says she's pushing it and should take things easy. So be it. These are Knope babies inside her. They can take it and so can she. But she could use some rest tonight.

 

"Okay, we're going home, but on two conditions."

 

"What is it?"

 

"Well, first of all, I want an hour long video chat with Ann as soon as we get home."

 

"Leslie… It's past midnight, Ann is sleeping."

 

"Nonsense! She has a baby, she's up all night."

 

He looks like he wants to say something, his cute mouth hanging open, but then he shakes his head. Smart man.

 

"Yeah, sure, whatever. What's the second condition?"

 

"You help me back up. I'm stuck here."

 

It's with a laugh that he helps her back to her feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	36. Things you said when you were crying (Andy & Leslie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy and Leslie bond over Jack's birth.

Leslie still remembers everything about the birth of her children. She remembers the waiting, when she felt like these babies were never going to get out. She remembers the crying, mostly Ben's but also her, and not just because her vagina was literally being ripped open with the passing of three human beings, but mostly out of pure joy that her living flesh had been brought into the world. And she definitely remembers the exhaustion that came over her after it was all done, which is why she takes no offence when April falls asleep in the middle of a conversation.

 

Ben has left a couple hours ago to take care of the kids, so it's just Leslie and Andy.

 

"Ice cream, Andy? I'm buying."

 

The new dad tears his eyes away from the little crib where his son is sleeping and nods. His eyes are red and wet with emotion, but who is Leslie to blame him? When April texted her she was giving birth ( _The spawn is getting out. Pawnee Hospital._ ), Leslie bawled her eyes out the whole car rid. All ten hours from Washington.

 

"How many scoops can I get?" Andy asks once they're in the tacky hospital diner.

 

Leslie smiles. Dad or not dad, Andy will always have the heart of a child.

 

"As many as you want, buddy!"

 

His eyes go wide with excitement and she hears him order something that sounds a lot like "every flavor you have". They sit down by a window, Leslie with a giant milkshake, Andy with what looks like the biggest ice cream plate ever made. 

 

"You know," he says, fudge dribbling down his chin, "April kinda wanted you to be the godmother, but she says instead of  _god_ mother, you could be like a devilmother? That's cool, right?"

 

Leslie snorts. April will never truly change.

 

"That sounds amazing and like a big honor."

 

"Also we were thinking maybe Ron for godfather, I mean, devilfather. Whaddya think?"

 

She thinks back on Ron and John when he was little and knows it's a great idea. Ron loves newborns a great deal more than he'll admit. They have a simplicity he appreciates.

 

"I'm sure he'll be very happy."

 

Andy slurps a big spoonful of pistachio ice cream. He looks pensive. Leslie has been told she can be oblivious to other people sometimes, but she's sure his mind is on his wife and kid right now, 100%.

 

"I had no idea that it'd be like this," he states plainly after three scoops.

 

"That what would be like this? The ice cream?"

 

"Nah, I eat ice cream all the time. I mean, like, having a kid. Y'know…" He swallows and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "I knew I'd love him, you know what I mean? Like, I totally love your kids, they're super great, and I loved my ninjas when I was doing the show here in Pawnee. Kids are the best."

 

She smiles and holds his hand. There is something beautiful in seeing a father finally getting a child of his own.

 

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

 

"And even when April was pregnant, we did the thing where I put my hand on her belly and the baby would just come against it, and that was so cool!"

 

"Haptonomy."

 

"Bless you."

 

"No, I mean… Nevermind."

 

"Well, I totally loved him before but now it's just… Ugh… You know what I mean?"

 

A tear rolls down Andy's cheek but his smile is broad as ever. For all the cheerful attitude she's seen time after time, this may be the happiest Leslie has ever seen Andy.

 

"You never knew you could love someone that much?"

 

"YES! Exactly! He's just so…"

 

He wipes his eyes but they're still wet. Leslie is about to tell him how much she understands him when they get approached by a nurse.

 

"Excuse me, are you Andy Dwyer?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Your wife called for you, she said you'd probably be eating here…"

 

She glances down at Andy's bowl where at least half a dozen scoops are still melting. And to think he ate over half of them already.

 

"Oh, April's awake?" He stands up so fast he knocks the chair down. "We gotta go see her!"

 

He abandons his bowl and Leslie is left to swallow the rest of her milkshake in a hurry. You'll never catch her leaving even one drop.

 

April looks lovely and refreshed after her nap. She looks like a young mother. As Andy rushes to her side to look at the baby that April is cradling right against her bosom, Leslie spots tears in his eyes again that he doesn't even bother to wipe away. Why would he when they're bound to roll down freely immediately after? Andy crying, April gazing down at her son like he's the most interesting little creature she's ever seen, they look exactly like what they've become: a gorgeous little family with all its quirks and oddities. Leslie whispers a goodbye and leaves them be.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	37. Things you said at the kitchen table (Leslie + Sonia)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonia and Leslie discuss sexism.

"Men are dogs," Sonia sighs deeply as she crashes in front of Leslie at the table. She grabs a carrot stick from the pile Leslie has been slicing and gnaws on it. Of all their children, Sonia has always been the more reasonable one who doesn't completely hate vegetables. How weird she can be.

 

"Yes they are," Leslie nods. 

 

She never needs to ask much with Sonia, prompt her to speak. The rest is always coming right away.

 

"You know how I presented my candidacy for student president, right?"

 

"And I'm so proud of you, sweetie."

 

"This guy in my math class asked me how I was gonna hold meetings with my boobs in the way. That doesn't even make any logical sense!"

 

"Prejudice usually doesn't."

 

"Can you believe this?!"

 

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry he said that… But yes, I can totally believe it. And you know why?"

 

"Men are dogs?" Sonia asks.

 

"Men are dogs," Leslie confirms.

 

Sonia picks up another carrot stick, still chewing on the first one.

 

"What are you going to do?" Leslie asks.

 

"Oh, it's done. I immediately told the principal and he got detention," she says offhandedly in that amazing Sonia kind of way, waving off her achievements with an aura of confidence that Leslie can only ever hope to achieve. She has no idea where this amazing, empowered and confident young woman came from… Probably Marlene's genes coming through. Then again, Sonia's mother is the governor of Indiana and her father the most perfect and progressive congressman their nation has ever known.

 

"Well, you did the absolute right thing."

 

"Is this how you were treated too?"

 

Leslie looks up from her cutting board. Sonia's face is a little desperate, and it breaks Leslie's heart to answer truthfully.

 

"It's how I still am treated, actually."

 

"Eurgh!"

 

"Yep."

 

"How d you deal with this?"

 

"By being freaking awesome!"

 

Sonia snickers.

 

"I'm serious! Beat them at what they think they're good at. You're the best, sweetie, so show it right in their ugly faces."

 

"I'm the only candidate who is even remotely qualified."

 

"Isn't Dexhart's son running too?"

 

"Yeah," she sighs. 

 

"Well, I would hate for that sucker to win."

 

"He's only doing it cause a cheerleader said men in power are hot."

 

Leslie thinks about Joe Biden, about Ben, and nods dreamily.

 

"Mom. Ew."

 

"Sorry, sorry!"

 

"Anyway, got history homework to do. Care to help?"

 

"Of course, always! What's it about this time?"

 

"The old murals of Pioneer Hall. You know about them?"

 

"Sweetheart, you have no idea…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	38. Things you said when you were drunk (Andy/April)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during "The Master Plan" at April's birthday party. April drinks her sorrow away after Andy leaves.

Jean-Ralphio can't take a hint, but he also can't seem to remember anything to save his life. At some point, he went to fetch himself a drink, was stopped by some girl (as unlikely as that seems to April) and never came back to the couch where April is sulking. Wait, no. Not sulking. Thinking. Reflecting. Regretting.

 

What a fucking mess this twenty first birthday party is. April grabs the nearest drink − a martini, which isn't her favorite, but anything will do − and gulps it down in one go. The whisky is already buzzing in her mind. She's about to go to the bar counter and try to get a guy to pay her a drink or ten (maybe  _some_  guys would actually be into her here, unlike a certain one who left) when Donna sits down next to her.

 

"Whaddup, girl?"

 

She has two shots in her hands and, without asking, April grabs one and chugs it down. She winces as it burns on its way down her throat, but she hopes it'll have its effect.

 

"… Okay. You alright?" Donna asks.

 

"Yeah, I'm  _fine_ ," she spits out. "Just  _perfect_."

 

"Where's Andy? You two were hanging out earlier. Girl, you got him good."

 

_Way to put your foot right into your mouth, jerk._

 

"Who knows?" April says and grabs another drink lying around, some sort of fancy cocktail with a lot of vodka. "Probably with  _Ann_."

 

"Fat chance of that," Donna scoffs. "She's getting hammered with Leslie."

 

April leans back against the couch, closes her eyes and lets the alcohol do its business. Who cares where Andy is? Except that she cares. She wishes he were here. So she could punch his face, and kiss him right on his stupid chubby face, and ignore him and hug him so tight she leaves marks on his pale sweaty skin. When she opens her eyes, Donna is looking at her like she's some sort of freak. And maybe she is.

 

" _What_?!" she asks with probably more bite than needed.

 

"You got it bad, huh?" Donna says and drinks up her own shot. 

 

April knows Donna is right, she's known for weeks or even months that her crush on Andy is here to stay. If crush is even strong enough to describe what she's feeling.

 

"I don't… " She hiccups. "I don't know what you're talking about."

 

"Hey, I'm not judging. The whole department knows, though."

 

"Ugh. Great. Just great… Ugh, this  _sucks_."

 

"Come on, tell me what happened. You look like you could use a talk."

 

That has never been true, April thinks, but her mind is getting fuzzier and blurrier, and she's getting there in the zone, in the state of mind where hopefully she cares less and less about Andy, and in any case about any shame and hurt she's feeling. In this state, she doesn't completely hate talking about her feelings as much as she always does, and the words come out of her lips with much less control than they normally do.

 

"I −  _hic_  − I like Andy, alright?" she slurs out.

 

"Yep," Donna says and she has that knowing look that April hates, like she's been obvious this whole time. She hates to know that everyone has been a witness to such an embarrassment, the pain of unrequited love. But if that part's out now, she might as well get it all out. At this point, she's ready for anything that might unload her heart. 

 

"And… And he likes Ann."

 

Donna snorts. April glares at her. What kind of an asshole snorts when you open up to her? Screw you, Donna.

 

"What?" she asks, even more aggressive than before.

 

"He  _really_  doesn't. Not anymore."

 

"You don't know that!"

 

"Everyone knows that. He looks at you like a little puppy all the time now. It's kind of hot, actually."

 

"Wha… Don't say that!"

 

"Hey, I'm just saying. But don't worry about me. He's your man. I know that. Perkins doesn't, but you're the one Andy likes anyway."

 

April looks around for another drink lying there but finds none. Donna has started texting next to her. She wants to get up and get completely wasted, but right now, she also just wants to go home and cry herself to sleep. Alcohol isn't working anyway. She still loves Andy and no matter what Donna says, he still doesn't love her. Not with Ann clutched at his arm, taking off clothes, flirting with him. That pain will never go away, most likely, or definitely not tonight anyway.

 

"I want to go −  _hic_  − far far away…" she mutters and slumps backwards. "And never… never talk to him again."

 

She suddenly feels very sleepy. She wants to fall asleep and wake up five years from now, or ten, when the sore wound in her pride starts healing. Time starts passing and it may be two minutes or two hours spent with her eyes closed on this couch, trying to wish her pain away. Just as she's asking herself if she could actually spend the night here, or if she'll have to call her parents, she feels an arm pulling her up.

 

"Come on, let's get your drunk ass to bed. I'm driving you home," Donna says. 

 

April wants to protest, that she doesn't need any help, but then she sees two Donnas at the same time and she almost falls to the ground, and she nods.

 

"But if you throw up in my Benz, even Andy won't be able to recognize you when I'm done with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	39. Things you said at 1am (Leslie/April)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some sort of college AU where Leslie and April meet at a Paunch Burger at 1 am.

Glass door opens. Gush of cold wind rushes in. April shivers. Stupid people being dumbasses. Don't they know it's fucking  _freezing_  outside right now? She looks up from the page she's been working on to glare at the culprit — some short blonde girl with a smile that probably matches her potential for being annoying. She catches April mid-glare and waves. Her eyes sparkle, bursting with joy.  _Shit, she's cute_. April ducks her head and goes back to work as fast as humanly possible.

It's not enough, though."Heeeey!" Some voice calls out to her after a minute or so and before April has the time to look up, a plastic tray drops in front of her, covering all her sheets. She sighs.

 

" _I need these_ ," she says and takes back all the sheets, all four chapters she's written so far today that she pulls from under the girl's tray. She notices what's  _on_  it. "Did you just come at Paunch Burger's at 1 am just to get three different sodas and a shit ton of Paunch Milky Surprises?"

 

The girl just laughs and takes a huge bite of ice cream. She's wearing a purple beanie that makes her look a lot cuter than April will ever admit. Shit, shit,  _shit_. The plan of coming here to get some work done was  _not_  to get weird fuzzy feelings towards the first person passing through the door. A stranger, no less.

 

"I needed the energy boost," the girl says, but doesn't look like she needs any energy boost ever. "Name's Leslie, by the way. Leslie Knope. Junior in History and Literature."

 

"April."

 

  
_Worthless parasite of a writer with no real job and no future_ , she thinks, but doesn't say.

 

"What are you doing here, then, April?"

 

"Writing," she says and picks up her pen pointedly, jotting a few words down.

 

"Here?" Leslie asks, a huge dollop of whipped cream on her lips. 

 

April is past this, past getting weird unexpected crushes on cute bubbly strangers with a sweet tooth, not since the last one ended in that  _disaster_ , yet here she is, her eyes on Leslie's lips, feeling like an idiot when she finally catches herself. She shuts her mouth and dives back to work before the other even notices she'd been staring.

 

"Yeah," she mutters. 

 

"Why?"

 

"I'm a fast food witch who draws power from people who eat too much sugar," she deadpans. It actually gives her a decent idea for a kids story that she writes down on her To Do List of writing.

 

From her side of the narrow table, Leslie coughs up some milkshake laughing. She actually has to slap her chest to get it all out, and it does look mildly painful, but it's all April can do not to smile at the way she's still trying to save every drop of milkshake, like that's what matters and not actually  _breathing_.

 

"For real, though, why are you doing this here?"

 

  
_It's Natalie's turn to pay the bills and she didn't. Again. So better write in a place that's actually warm, that has actual tables and some sort of quiet, rather than home. Also, I come here late at night because I hate being around people._ She doesn't think that her two minute old friendship with Leslie deserves that level of detail.

 

"Why are  _you_  here, then?"

 

"Oh, I just woke up, and the fridge was empty. Can't miss my sugar boost to start out the day great!"

 

"… You just woke up?"

 

"Yep," Leslie nods and sips up some coke through a plastic straw.

 

"When the fuck do you go to sleep?"

 

"Ten, ten thirty on school days. College, am I right?" She chuckles.

 

"God…"

 

She tries to start working again, but she's barely written down a few lines when she senses Leslie's eyes on her. She sighs.

 

"Look, I'm trying to write just now."

 

Leslie closes her mouth and leans back against her chair, nodding with a slight pout −  _control yourself, Ludgate_. April writes down a few more words, ending a paragraph, and she lifts up the sheet of paper to read it all over for revision, her pen tapping the beginning of every line. She's always liked the sound it makes, like little drums keeping her working when the opposite would be so much more pleasant. 

 

"Are you almost done?"

 

She looks over the top of her sheet to find that cute blonde hag with a bit of ice-cream on the corner of her mouth. She's looking at her with clear blue eyes that April never guessed she was into. 

 

"Not really? It's a novel, you're never really done with these in just one day."

 

"What's it about?" Leslie asks but before April can answer, she holds up a hand. "Wait, no, don't tell me… It's about sharks! No, wait, it's about a witch in the woods who eats kids! A magic parrot who teaches babies to speak!"

 

"No, it's about a girl who's poor, and how she struggles with that and stuff. Lame parents, you know the spiel. Kinda boring."

 

"Hey, I study history, I eat kinda boring for breakfast!"

 

April snorts.

 

"I really do need to work, though."

 

"Aww," Leslie's smile drops.

 

"I guess you'll just have to give me your number and we'll have a date some other time," April blurts out.

 

Where did  _that_  come from?

 

"Well, well, well…" Leslie smirks, playing with her straw (and getting some Sprite on chapter five − April makes a note to wipe the paper as soon as she gets her answer), "You smooth bastard."

 

April doesn't know where to hide her stupid face, briefly considers fleeing the country, but Leslie grabs the pen from her hand and before she knows it, April has Leslie's number plastered over the front page of chapter six, in a tidy wide handwriting and with a heart drawn underneath. She bites her lip. That's cute. Cute, cute, cute.

 

"Call me, then," Leslie says with a bright smile that seems to be part of her face by nature, and she leaves Paunch Burger with as much energy as she originally barged in, except with a cup full of the fast food restaurant's probably most sugary drink. 

 

  
_Well, that went well_ , April tells herself and takes a spoonful of Paunch Milky Surprise Leslie managed not to get down in the five minutes she was here. Just another chapter, and maybe another one after that, and she'll call Leslie. Hopefully by then she'll have come up with a better place than Paunch Burger for a first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	40. Things you said when you were leaving (Mark & Leslie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark leaves Pawnee forever.

"So, when do you start on your new job?" Leslie asks, her mouth still full of the bite of waffle she's just taken.

Mark eyes her nervously from his side of the booth. He's been fidgeting quite a lot the whole time they've been here, but Leslie hasn't noticed. She usually doesn't."Two weeks," he says with caution.He waits till she's taken a drollop of whipped cream in her mouth and gets that special smile of pure joy before adding the info he's been wanting to tell her since he asked her for one last late breakfast at JJ's."In Ohio."She spits out the whipped cream with an indignated yelp. It lands in Mark's cup of coffee, floating there on the surface. Leslie's face seems to be torn between many feelings, but in the end, anger seems to be the winner."What?!"Mark sighs. Of course she'd react like this."Leslie...""How many times will you stick a dagger in my back, Judas?!""Leslie, not all of us are as passionate as you are…""Or as devoted to their friends, I presume!"She's scrunching up her face like he's just spit in her face instead of telling her about his career plans. He sighs."It's for the best.""What?! How could it possibly be for the best?""I don't belong here, Les, you know I don't..."

Mark hates dwelling on personal feelings, even after months with Ann, who was much more in touch with that side of things.

 

"What? That's ridiculous! Of course you belong! You're _Mark Brendanawicz_ , the city planner!"

 

"I'm not, though! I'm Mark, the stuck-up guy who no one really likes at the Parks Department and who is totally replaceable. I'm sure you'll have forgotten about me by the end of the summer."

 

"What makes you say that?"

 

There's things about Leslie that Mark likes, but certainly not her tendency to meddle into everyone's business all the time, especially when they're being really clear that they don't want to talk about it.

 

"You guys, you're all… special and driven by at least _something_ , and I'm just the guy who wants to get paid to do his job and nothing more."

 

"That is totally not true! All of us are normal! Look at Ann, she's…"

 

She has the grace not to finish that thought. Talking or even thinking about Ann is really something Mark avoids at all costs these days.

 

"Yeah, Ann's not really a factor that could make me stay."

 

"What about April? She's not driven by _anything_! You're far more motivated than she is."

 

"Okay, well, April has a picture of a dead rat as her wallpaper."

 

"Yes, Mr Plague, he was hers when she was a child."

 

"See? You get her! She belongs in this department. In Pawnee."

 

"Oh, well, I wouldn't say I get her…"

 

"What I'm saying, Leslie, is that you're bound to these people. I'm not."

 

"Ugh, I hate that I see what you mean."

 

"I guess what I'm saying is, this is goodbye, Leslie."

 

"I guess it is."

 

She chews on her waffle pensively, but does not give any sign of wanting to add anything. 

 

"You don't have anything to say to that?"

 

"Well, Mark, if your choice is made, I respect it."

 

"Great. That's great."

 

"Yep."

 

She eats up her waffle after pouring some more whipped cream onto it − the whipped cream she lost in his cup. As she readies her coat and stands up to leave, he grabs her arm.

 

"I'm leaving tomorrow, Leslie."

 

"Oh. Wow. Tomorrow?"

 

"Early morning."

 

"Oh, wow. I… I guess this really is goodbye now, then?"

 

"It is."

 

She seems to hesitate half a second, then pulls him into a hug.

 

"I'll see you in hell, Mark Brendanawicz."

 

"Goodbye, Leslie."

 

And just like that, he's gone from her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	41. Things you said that I wasn't meant to hear (Ben & Stephen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen comes home early and hears his parents discussing very interesting things.

The best thing about high school by far is all the clubs Stephen gets to be a part of. There's the chemistry club, his personal favorite. Then there's the theater club, the karate club (that Uncle Andy strongly suggested the last time he was in Pawnee), the mad poets club (that Wesley dragged him to and that Stephen actually really likes), the math club (that he and Sonia were the first members of, first day of school), and obviously, the ice skating club (that Sonia founded a while ago and asked her two brothers to come − Wesley never enjoyed it and quit rapidly, but Stephen quickly got into it and loves it). His sister and brother are in equally as many clubs (Sonia probably even more, because she can't stand to be a member of a club, she has to be the president) and they come back home later than they used to, but it's all so worth it. He's gotten used to having something to do, people to meet every single day.

 

Which is why he feels so upset when the meeting of the chemistry club is canceled today.

 

Normally, he's supposed to come back at six and meet up with Wesley in the parking lot so they can ride their bike home together, but since apparently, club meeting was off today (and no one bothered to tell him), he can't just wait three hours for Wesley's literature club meeting to be over and decides to ride back home alone, and sends his brother a text to warn him about the change.

 

No one is supposed to be home when he walks through the back door after putting his bike in the shack (a little bit more forcefully than needed, but he's upset, people do things forcefully when they're sad and disappointed), yet he hears voices from the kitchen. Quick as a whip, his spy instincts (courtesy to him roleplaying a lot when he was little) kick in. He tiptoes to the doorway, careful not to be seen − thank god the door is half closed − and there they are, his parents, heads down, jotting down a long list of things on paper (who even uses paper anymore?), sitting at the kitchen table.

"For Wesley I was thinking this encyclopedia he's mentioned a few times? He says it's too expensive, but I've seen him look into thrift stores and it seems a store in the former Eagleton has it. I think he'd feel glad we found it."

 

Encyclopedia for Wesley? That sounds like a present he would love to receive… Mom frowns, as always when mentioning the City which Used to Exist, but nods.

"Yes. And for Stephen, did you find... ?"

 

"I did find the number of the head of the NASA. I called her and she said yes."

 

Stephen has to physically put his hand over his mouth not to react. Him? Something to do with the NASA? Whatever it is, this can only be amazing. 

 

"YES!" Mom cheers. "He is gonna be so surprised, I can't wait for Stephen Day!"

 

"Would you say _more_ surprised than when he sees Andy and April come for the week?"

 

"Oh god, all of them are gonna freak out. I told Andy not to speak to them much this month in case he gives it away."

 

"Here's to hoping it works and none of them find out what we got for their birthday."

 

"Oh, I don't doubt that. I'm very sneaky."

 

"Of course, dear."

 

Mom's quiet ringtone fills the kitchen (a babbling river, somehow she managed to record the Pawnee river and make it a ringtone) and she starts shuffling around her papers.

 

"Okay, I have to run. Do NOT let any of the kids know about any of this."

 

"You got it."

 

As Mom leaves through the front door, Dad quickly puts away three binders that Stephen recognizes as bearing their former triplet color (blue for Sonia, red for Wesley, yellow for him, from when they were babies and their parents wanted to identify them quickly − they still wear these colors quite often as a result). Sounds like they have big plans for all three of them on the days leading to their birthday, and on the actual date of their birthday. The NASA, that's just perfect! And books for Wesley? Wesley loves boring things! That's perfect for him, too.

 

"You snooped around Wesley's gryzzl searches, huh?" He asks when he's sure Mom is gone.

 

Dad yelps, throwing his hands in the air, and turns around, clutching his heart.

 

"Good lord, Steve, don't do that!" Then realization settles on his face. "Oh no. No no no no no! You can't be here! Why aren't you with Ms. Clack?!"

 

Stephen basks in this victory, checking his fingernails slowly and with style before responding.

 

"Canceled."

 

"Don't ever tell your mom you heard! She's already hired a professional photographer for four days! You can't mess it up, even if you already know!"

 

"How much?"

 

"… I'm not going to bribe my own son. You're better than that, you know money doesn't matter."

 

"Who said anything about money?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"I want first pick on movies for the next three weeks."

 

Dad actually sits down and seems to consider the proposition. 

 

"And you promise your mom will know nothing about your finding out?"

 

Steven pretends to zip his mouth shut.

 

"She can be very perceptive, are you sure you're up to it?"

 

"Dad, I literally played Romeo last year. _I think I'm up to it._ "

 

"Fine."

 

"Oh, and what's Sonia getting?"

 

"You won't get another word out of me!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	42. Things you said at 1 am (Benslie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small dialogue the night before the City Council election.

In Ben's experience, when they go to sleep at the same time, Leslie starts holding speeches in her sleep roughly 17 minutes after she closes her eyes. He knows that because it takes him half an hour to fall asleep, whereas she has somehow mastered the art of sleep and just has to close her eyes and, there, she's gone. He guesses she wouldn't be where she is if she didn't have that amazing time (and sleep) management. 

 

Tonight, though, he waits and waits, and no speech comes. And sleep doesn't come, for either of them. He keeps his eyes shuts and tries to convince his brain to just go to sleep, but nothing works and he feels as wide awake as if it was the middle of the day. Finally, after hours seem to pass sleeplessly, Leslie's voice comes as a whisper in the dark.

 

"Are you asleep?"

 

He opens his eyes and finds her staring at him anxiously from her side of the bed.

 

"I can't sleep," he admits.

 

"Yeah, me neither," she sighs.

 

He pulls her to him and, as if she'd been waiting for him to do just that, she nestles against his chest, hugging him tight and close. Even Leslie gets insecure sometimes.

 

"It'll be fine," he says and believes it.

 

"What if I lose, though? What if tomorrow is the day my dream dies?"

 

For once, she seems a frail thing under his hands, gentle and fragile. 

 

"It won't happen, but if it does, then the City Council will have lost the opportunity of having the best Councilwoman in the history of the United States."

 

He feels her smile against his chest as she shuffles around to be more comfortable, and closer to him still.

 

"I really wanna win," she says.

 

"You're going to win."

 

"How do you know that?"

 

"Because you're Leslie Knope, and nothing can stop you."

 

"Except Bobby Newport…"

 

"I think you're underestimating the voters. They _know_ you're better for the job. They'll trust you."

 

"Maybe you're right… I dunno…"

 

He presses a kiss on top of her soft hair. He _knows_ she's going to win. Just knows it deep in his bones. He didn't even write her a speech in case she doesn't, because he is a hundred percent convinced that tomorrow, she'll be elected as the new City Councilwoman of Pawnee. It's just a fact. 

 

"But let's say, hypothetically, I lose," she starts, and he's about to tell her that it's ridiculous but she shushes him, "I said hypothetically! What do I do?"

 

She lifts up her head from his chest, where it always finds the perfect spot, right against him, and looks at him with such anxiety he wishes he could just give her his confidence and trust in her, like a blood transfusion.

 

"Then you do even more amazing things that City Council. Cause you're bound to do amazing things, Leslie."

 

She groans nervously, shaking her head.

 

"I believe in you," he adds.

 

"I know you do, and thank you for that."

 

"But you don't believe me?"

 

"I don't know! I just… Ugh, I want tomorrow to be over."

 

"Well, there's only one way to do that."

 

"What?"

 

"Sleep through the night and live through the day."

 

She snorts, but still, she moves back to her spot on the bed after a quick kiss on his lips.

 

"You're right."

 

"Good night, Leslie."

 

"G'night, Ben," she yawns.

 

And there it is, 17 minutes later, she holds her victory speech, and it's even more beautiful than the one Ben wrote for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


	43. Six times (Andy/April)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six times. That's how many times they did it since Andy walked into her the Parks Department with his guitar and a dumb smile on his face.

Six times. That's how many times they did it since Andy walked into her the Parks Department with his guitar and a dumb smile on his face. Once in the bathrooms in City Hall, once in an empty office, once on the way home (they stopped on the side of the road because safety is super important, Andy said), once on the kitchen counter, once on the couch and once in their bed. 

 

Andy is still panting, his chest heaving like he's just run a marathon. His hair is wet with sweat, his eyes closed, and he looks even more beautiful than she remembered. Skype does not hold up his beauty at all. 

 

"I missed you," she says and his hands are around her waist, pulling her on top of him, and his muscles are hard under her yet the most comfortable thing she's ever felt.

 

"I missed you too," he replies and kisses her with a softness that contrasts with their haste before. 

 

"Champion doesn't kiss nearly as well as you do."

 

He chuckles, that low, deep laugh that warms her from head to toe, and it sounds nothing like it did when it was transmitted over computer. Nothing compares to the way his chest shakes with mirth, the way he's hugging her ever so close, so close they're almost just one person. And Skype certainly doesn't convey how hot his palms are against her skin, there's no way to feel his beard scratching against her cheek or his hairy legs against hers, and nothing about that computer screen ever transmits how safe she feels with him, how very happy. 

 

"I love you," she whispers against his neck, and she knows he's heard it. 

 

"Love you too," he replies, and the lull of his breathing quieting down as he goes to sleep has never been so soothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you read this and enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment to tell me what you liked :) It really means the world to get feedback.


End file.
